H  D 

^63      RE  THE  UNITED  STATES  ANTHRACITE 
^^^^  COAL  COMMISSION 


EMPLOYES  EXHIBIT  NUMBER- 


OD 


ru 
ru 

UJ 

a 


The  Relationship  Between  Rates  of 
Pay  and  Earnings  and  the  Cost 
^Bg      of  Living  in  thr  .\nthracite 
^H^        Industry  of  Penrsvlvania 


Presented  by 
W.    JETT    LAUCK 

(?ji;  behalf  of 

John  L.  Lewis,  President 

Ph    p   Murray,  Vice  President 

F.  P.  Hanawa}'.  Interp'tional  Representative 

Percv  Tetlow,  Stati'Mciars 

Joh:i  Demp.ey  j   Committee  Reor--  -Mng 

1 1  >n-a^    Kennedy     /        r\   ^  •  ^     i     7       j  o 
f^x    ■      I    r.   1  1  I         LMstricts   I ,   /  and  V 

Chns.  J.  vjolden       ) 

Of  the 

United  Mine  Workers  of  America 

WASHINGTON 
1920 


15 


BEFORE  THE  UNITED  STATES  ANTHRACITE 
COAL  COMMISSION 


EMPLOYES  EXHIBIT  NUMBER — =1 


The  Relationship  Between  Rates  of 
Pay  and  Earnings  and  the  Cost 
of  Living  in  the  Anthracite 
Industry  of  Pennsylvania.  :• 


.  •.  •  * ' 


.•lrW»^r    'I'FVeseVltd  by^' 

W.    JETT    LAUCK 


On  behalf  of 


United  Mine  Workers  of  America 


WASHINGTON 
1920 


15  \ 


^r)  fe-3  iiT 


^^ 


.  ^-// 


THE  RELATIONSHIP  BETWEEN  RATES  OF  PAY 

AND  EARNINGS  AND  THE  COST  OF  LIVING 

IN  THE  ANTHRACITE  INDUSTRY 

OF  PENNSYLVANIA 

By  far  the  largest  single  group  of  employees  in  the  anthracite 
mines  is  that  of  contract  miners,  constituting  as  they  do  about 
30  per  cent,  of  the  entire  number  of  employees.  The  rates  of 
these  men  vary  from  colliery  to  colliery,  and  even  from  vein  to 
vein.  No  attempt  has  ever  been  made  to  classify  or  standardize 
their  rates,  and  all  wage  adjustments  made  since  the  great  strike 
of  1902  have  accepted  the  old  rates  as  they  stood  and  added 
thereto  a  specified  percentage  increase.  Thus  rates  exist  today 
the  basis  of  which  probably  were  first  established  twenty  years 
ago  or  more. 

The  table  below  gives  the  relative  rates  since  1902,  that  is 
the  rates  based  on  the  pre-strike  rate  of  100. 


1902  pre-strike   100.0 

1903  114.40 

1904   114.95 

1905   114.31 

1906   114.58 

1907 114.22 

1908 114.40 

1909 114.49 

1910 114.40 

1911   114.95 

1912  after  April 121.00 

1913  121.00 

1914 121.00 

1915   121.00 

1916  after  April 129.5 

1917  after  April   142.50 

1917  after  November 161.90 

1918  after  November 181.30 

1919 181.30 

1920  to  April 181.30 


The  award  of  the  Anthracite  Coal  Strike  Commission  gave 
these  employees  a  10  per  cent,  increase  in  rates.  It  also  provided 
that  for  each  5-cent  advance  in  the  wholesale  price  of  coal  at 


4C9048 


'  ''New  YOfk  City  the  miners  should  have  a  1  per  cent,  increase  in 
rate  over  the  new  base  established  by  the  Commission. 

This  agreement  remained  in  effect  nine  years.  During-  that 
time  the  sliding  scale  was  responsible  for  increases  in  rate  above 
the  1902  rate  varying  from  4.22  per  cent,  in  1907  to  4.95  per  cent, 
in  1904  and  1911.  The  average  increase  for  the  nine  years  was 
4.2  per  cent.  A  new  agreement  was  entered  into  on  May  20, 
1912.  Under  this  agreement  the  sliding  scale  was  abolished 
and  in  its  place  was  granted  an  increase  of  10  per  cent,  over  the 
rate  of  1911.  This  increased  the  basic  relative  from  110,  which 
it  had  been  from  1903  to  1911,  to  121.  The  basic  rate  for  1911 
plus  the  additional  wage  received  under  the  sliding  scale  made 
the  index  number  for  that  year  114.95.  Therefore,  the  actual 
increase  brought  about  by  the  agreement  of  1912  was  6.05 
points.  The  wage  of  1912,  therefore,  shows  an  increase  of  5.2 
per  cent,  over  that  of  1911,  and  a  total  increase  of  21  per  cent, 
over  the  pre-strike  rate  of  1902.  On  May  5,  1916,  a  new  agree- 
ment was  entered  into  under  which  tonnage  rates  were  raised 
7  per  cent,  above  the  rates  in  1915.  This  made  a  total  increase 
of  29.5  per  cent,  over  the  rate  of  1902.  Since  1916  three  new 
voluntary  agreements  have  been  entered  into,  each  of  which  pro- 
vided an  increase  in  rates.  These  increases,  however,  were  given 
not  in  the  form  of  rate  increases,  but  in  the  form  of  additions 
to  gross  earnings.  Thus  the  agreement  of  April  26,  1917,  pro- 
vided for  the  addition  of  10  per  cent,  to  the  gross  earnings  of 
each  miner  as  determined  by  the  agreement  of  May  5,  1916.  On 
November  17,  1917,  this  was  superseded  by  an  agreement  giving 
a  25  per  cent,  increase  on  gross  earnings,  based  on  the  agreement 
of  1916.  Finally,  on  November  15,  1918,  the  percentage  bonus 
was  raised  to  40  per  cent.  Under  these  last  three  agreements  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  net  increase  in  miners'  rates  above  the 
1902  base  has  been  42.5,  61.9  and  81.3  per  cent. 

The  agreement  of  November  15,  1918,  according  to  its  terms, 
was  to  remain  in  effect  until  the  declaration  of  peace,  or  until 
March  31,  1920,  if  peace  was  not  declared  before  that  day.  By  a 
subsequent  agreement  entered  into  September  29,  1919,  the  con- 
ditional clause  was  eliminated  and  the  duration  of  the  agreement 
until  March  31,  1920,  made  unconditional. 

No  satisfactory  figures  exist  for  changes  in  the  cost  of  living 
prior  to  the  studies  made  by  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Labor 
Statistics.  As  explained  elsewhere,  these  figures  do  not  go  back 
of  the  war  period,  so  in  order  to  compare  them  with  the  wage 
rates  of  contract  miners  it  is  necessary  to  take  the  rates  that 


existed  in  1914  as  a  base  (that  is  as  equal  to  100.0)  and  compute 
from  that  the  relatives  since.    These  rates  are  as  follows : 


Rates  of  Contract  Miners 
1914  as  base  =  100.0 

1914    100.0 

1915 100.0 

1916  after  April 107.0 

1917  after  April 117.7 

after  November 133.75 

1918  after  November 149.8 

1919 149.8 

1920  to  April 149.8 


As  the  cost  of  living  from  1914  up  to  May,  1920,  has  risen  104 
per  cent.,  while  the  contract  rates  have  risen  only  49.8  per  cent., 
it  is  evident  that  the  contract  miners  are  not  today  as  well  off  as 
they  were  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  in  1914. 

This  is  shown  graphically  on  the  following  chart: 


15  B 


<■■  ANTHRACITE  COAL  MINING 

Rates  of  Contract  Miners  Compared  with  Increase  in  Cost  of  Living 


rT^!'^"^^p^^''^'^i'"~'ri^["Lj'  J  "  ' — '— ~'"'-^^^^'^^^''^;^?^i^r^"^Ci 


!§: 


DATA  FOR  CHART   ON   RATES   OF   CONTRACT  MINERS  AND   ON 

COST  OF  LIVING 


Wage 

Rates  of 

Cost  of 

Contract 

Living 

Miners 

Per  Cent 

Per  Cent. 

1914 

100.0 

July,  1914 

100 

1915 

100.0 

Dec,  1914 

102 

1916 

(After  April) 

107.0 

June,  1915 

102 

1917 

(After  April) 

117.7 

Dec,  1915 

103 

1917 

(After  Nov.) 

133.75 

June,  1916 

109 

1918 

(After  Nov.) 

149.8 

Dec,  1916 

117 

1919 

149.8 

June,  1917 

129 

1920 

(To  April) 

149.8 

Dec,  1917 
June,  1918 
Dec,  1918 
June,  1919 
Dec,  1919 
May,  1920 

141 
156 
172 
175 
195 
204 

In  order  to  restore  the  rates  of  the  contract  miner  to  the  same 
relationship  to  thei  cost  of  living  that  was  established  by  the 
wage  adjustment  in  1912,  it  would  be  necessary  to  increase  the 
present  rates  by  36.2  per  cent. 

A  very  common  rate  for  coal  (gangway  and  airway)  in  1914, 
established  in  1912,  was  close  to  $1.00  per  car.  This  rate,  with 
the  subsequent  increases,  has  now  become  $1,498,  but  in  order 
to  raise  it  up  to  the  point  where  the  day's  earnings  will  buy  the 
same  necessities  of  life  that  they  would  buy  in  1914,  it  would 
have  to  be  increased  now  to  $2.04  per  car,  an  increase  amounting, 
as  explained  above,  to  36.2  per  cent. 

But  simply  increasing  the  rate  up  to  the  cost  of  living  at 
infrequent  intervals  does  not  result  in  even  approximate  justice 
to  the  worker  on  account  of  the  amount  of  purchasing  power  that 
he  has  lost  in  the  past  through  the  fact  that  his  earnings  have 
lagged  behind  the  cost  of  living.  As  an  illustration,  assume  that 
the  wage  is  so  adjusted  at  the  start  of  a  period  that  one  day's 
earnings  will  be  sufficient  to  purchase,  say,  100  pounds  of  flour. 
During  the  period,  and  before  the  next  adjustment,  if  flour  rises 
in  price  50  per  cent.,  the  worker  will  find  that  he  can  purchase 
with  one  day's  earnings  only  66.67  pounds  of  flour,  and  that  he 
is  obliged  to  work  a  day  and  a  half  in  order  to  obtain  the  needed 
100  pounds.  The  result  must  be  that  he  and  his  family  go  with- 
out something  they  formerly  enjoyed,  or  else  he  runs  into  debt. 
When  the  next  wage  adjustment  comes,  even  if  his  rate  is  in- 
creased 50  per  cent,  so  that  he  can  once  more  purchase  his  100 
pounds  of  flour  with  one  day's  earnings,  he  is  not  recompensed 


for  his  forced  self-denial  during  the  period,  nor  is  he  able  to  pay 
the  debts  he  has  contracted. 

Another  way  of  expressing  this  is  as  follows:  At  any  wage 
fixation,  both  parties  to  the  fixation  have  their  attentions  focused, 
consciously  or  unconsciously,  upon  the  purchasing  power  of  the 
wage  as  fixed.  The  number  of  dollars  is  important  only  as  com- 
pared with  the  amount  of  comTnodities  that  may  be  purchased. 
At  the  wage  fixation  of  1916  (which  forms  the  basis  of  all  sub- 
sequent increases)  a  certain  definite  purchasing  power  was  given 
to  the  mine  workers.  It  was,  of  course,  the  intention  that  the 
mine  workers  should  continue  to  receive  this  purchasing  power. 
It  was  decided  that  they  needed  at  least  this  purchasing  power 
in  order  to  pay  their  bills.  But,  owing  to  the  great  increase  in 
prices,  the  mine  workers  have  not  received  what  the  wage  fixa- 
tion decreed  they  should  receive.  No  one  of  the  subsequent 
increases  has  been  suflScient  even  to  bring  their  wage  back  to  the 
purchasing  power  fixed  in  1916.  The  result  is,  then,  that  the 
mine  workers  have  actually  lost. 

The  shaded  area  on  the  chart  shows  the  amount  that  has  been 
lost  by  the  contract  miner  through  this  failure  of  his  rate  to 
keep  pace  with  the  cost  of  living.  A  glance  at  the  chart  shows 
that  in  April,  1916,  the  rate  was  raised  just  up  to  the  cost  of 
living  line,  but  not  above  it,  so  although  he  could  then  purchase 
all  that  he  could  in  1914,  he  was  not  repaid  for  his  losses  already 
incurred.  Since  April,  1916,  none  of  the  increases  has  brought 
the  rate  up  to  a  reasonable  distance  of  the  cost  of  living,  and  the 
increase  of  November,  1918,  was  notably  inadequate. 

If  we  disregard  all  losses  incurred  by  the  miner  prior  to  the 
increase  of  November,  1917,  we  can  compute  his  loss  per  car  by 
taking  any  of  the  rates  and  subtracting  it  from  what  it  should 
have  been  in  each  of  the  succeeding  months.  Thus  if  we  takej 
the  rate  that  was  $1.00  per  car  in  1914  and  is  $1,498  per  car  now, 
his  losses  per  car  have  been  for  each  month  as  follows :  1 


Amount  lost  by 

Contract  miner  per 

car  through  failure 

of  wage  rate  to  keep 

pace  with  the  cost 

of  living, 

November,  1917  $0.05 

December    07 

January,  1918   09 

February 12 

March    14 

April .17 

May 19 

June 22 

July   24 

August ; 27 

September 30 

October   32 

November 19 

December 22 

January,  1919   22' 

February 23 

March    23 

April    24 

May 24 

June 25 

July   28 

August    31 

September 35 

October   38 

November   41 

December 45 

January,  1920   47 

February 49 

March    50 

April   52 

May   , 54 

Total   $8.70 

Average — 31  months   0.281 

One  twenty-fourth  of  total 0.362 

If  it  were  intended  to  repay  the  miner  for  these  accumulated 
losses  within  c/iie  month,  it  would  be  necessary  to  add  the  above 
total  to  his  rate  per  car  during  that  month.  This,  however,  mani- 
festly is  far  too  much  to  ask. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  a  wage  agreement  is  signed  up  for  the 
twenty-four  months  commencing  April  1,  1920,  there  should  be 
added  to  his  rate  one-twenty-fourth  of  the  above  total,  or  $0,362 
per  car. 

This  amount  added  to  the  rate  as  brought  up  to  the  cost  of 
living  ($2.04)  gives  the  rate  of  $2,402  per  car  as  a  fair  and 
equitable  rate  superseding  the  rate  that  was  $1.00  in  1912  and 
is  $1,498  now.  This  is  an  increase  amounting  to  60.3  per  cent, 
of  the  present  rates. 


8 

In  precisely  a  similar  way,  the  losses  incurred  by  any  contract 
miner,  working  at  any  rate,  may  be  computed,  and  if  these  losses 
are  pro-rated  through  a  period  of  twenty-four  months  from  April, 
1920,  an  increase  amounting  to  60.3  per  cent,  must  be  made  to 
each  and  every  contract  rate. 

In  this  connection,  also,  it  will  be  well  to  remember  that  no 
losses  incurred  before  November,  1917,  are  taken  into  account 
in  the  above  calculation,  and  also  that  it  is  assumed  that  the 
rise  in  the  cost  of  living  that  may  take  place  in  the  future  will 
be  compensated  for  at  some  future  adjustment. 

Elsewhere  is  shown,  in  the  exhibit  on  the  irre^larity  of  employ- 
ment, the  average  days  worked  during  the  past  year  by  the 
anthracite  mines.  As  explained  there,  no  one  definitely  knows 
w^hat  the  average  for  the  year  1919  was,  but  the  indications 
are  that  it  was  not  far  from  252.  Using  this  figure,  the  oppor- 
tunity to  work  during  the  past  few  years  has  been  as  follows : 

Average 
Year  Number  of  days 

worked 

1913  257 

1914  245 

1915  230 

1916  253 

1917  285 

1918  293 

1919  252 

With  the  exception  of  the  abnormal  years  of  1917  and  1918, 
the  year  1919  does  not  appear  to  have  been  out  of  the  ordinary 
except,  perhaps,  to  the  extent  of  a  few  per  cent.  It  is  shown  else- 
where that  the  present  outlook  for  work  in  the  future  seems  to 
indicate  that  about  245  to  255  will  be  the  average  number  of  days 
worked  per  year  during  the  future,  and  therefore  it  is  fair  to 
expect  that  the  rates  of  wage,  both  contract  and  day,  should  be 
increased  from  time  to  time  at  least  enough  to  balance  the  effect 
of  rising  prices  and  to  compensate  for  losses  already  suffered. 

The  fact  must  not  be  lost  sight  of  that  in  1916  there  was  a 
reduction  in  hours  from  nine  to  eight  per  working  day.  This  was 
a  reduction  of  time  amounting  to  11  per  cent.,  but  it  is  not 
claimed  that  the  rates  should  be  increased  by  that  amount  in 
comparing  the  wage  rate  with  the  cost  of  living  because  the 
reduction  of  hours  brought  about  such  an  increase  in  productive 
efficiency  that  the  actual  daily  output  per  man  day  was  greater 
under  the  eight-hour  day  than  under  the  nine-hour  day.  (See 
Monthly  Review,  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics,  August,  1917.) 


Wage  Rates  of  Employees  Other  Than  Contract  Miners 

The  Pennsylvania  Department  of  Internal  Affairs  reported  the 
following  distribution  of  employees  at  the  anthracite  mines  from 
1908  to  1912  (no  report  of  distribution  made  since) : 

AVERAGE  NUMBER  OF  WAGE  EARNERS 

1912  1911  1910  1909  1908 

Miners 42,201  44,290  42,897  43,343  43,482 

Miners— laborers 33,292  32,691  32,536  32,778  38,896 

Other  insid^men 48,024  46,784  44.750  46,034  45,485 

Other  inside — boys 7              201  5  315  160 

Outside— men 29,554  28.082  28,092  27,2l7  27,323 

Outside— bovs 135            1,310  1,044  2,794  3,432 

Breaker  employees 16,238  16,271  16,310  16,855  17,600 

Total 170,451        169,629        165,634        169,336        176,377 

From  this  table  it  appears  that  about  half  the  total  employees 
of  the  industry  are  contract  miners  and  their  laborers,  and  about 
half  are  engaged  in  miscellaneous  occupations  in  and  outside  the 
mines.  These  other  occupations  are  many,  and  no  one  is  com- 
parable in  regard  to  numbers  of  men  employed  to  that  of  contract 
miners.    Most  of  them  are  paid  by  the  day. 

The  wage  rates  of  these  occupations  are  extremely  numerous, 
each  company,  and  even  each  colliery,  having  its  own  set  of  rates 
which  differs  from  all  other  sets  of  rates  in  effect  elsewhere.  To 
show  the  variation  in  rates  among  men  engaged  in  pratically 
identical  work  the  following  table  is  prepared,  giving  the  rates 
in  effect  after  the  application  of  the  November,  1918,  increase, 
for  the  principal  occupations  in  the  larger  collieries  of  District  1. 


10 


DAY  RATES  FOR  PRINCIPAL  OCCUPATIONS  IN  THE  LARGER 
COLLIERIES  OF  DISTRICT  I 

In  Effect  in  November,  1918 


Com- 

Com- 

Labor- 

Labor- 

Car- 

pany 

pany 

ers 

ers 

penters 

Ash 

Miner 

Miner's 
laborers 

Inside 

Out- 
side 

1st 

class 

men 

Old    Forge    Colliery- 

—Penn. 

Coal  Co 

S4.40 

$4.09 
4.40 
4.11 

S3. 84 
3.61 
3.61 

$4,855 
4.53 
4.685 

$3,635 

Nat.  Col. — D.  L.  &  W 

3.61 

Van  Storch  Colliery . 

4^47 

3.61 

Boston    Colliery — D. 

■&■  H. 

Coal  Co 

4.47 

4.11 

4.11 

3.61 

3.61 

So.  Wilkesbarre  Colliery — L. 

&  W.  B 

4.80 

4.34 

3.67 

4.62 

3.67 

Pine  Brook  Colliery — Scran- 

ton  Coal  Co 

5.48 

4.85 

3.49 

4.64 

3.61 

Westmoreland     Colliery — L. 

V.  Coal  Co 

4.74 

4.47 

4.47 

3.35 

4.48 

3.47 

No.  5  Colliery— Susquehanna 

Coal  Co.. ." 

4.78 

4.12 

3 .  355 

4.62 

3.67 

Average 

$4.73 

$4.38 

$4,236 

$3,507 

$4,633 

$3,011 

Slate 

pickers 

Black- 

Black- 

Car- 

1st 

Brat- 

smiths 

smiths 

penter 

Track- 

Track- 

class 

tice 

Ist 

help- 

help- 

men 

men 

men 

men 

class 

ers 

ers 

(inside) 

helpers 

Old  Forge  Collier}', 

Penn.  Coal  Co. .  . 

13.43 

S4.09 

$4,855 

$3 . 635 

$3.84 

$4,855 

$4.09 

National     Col. — D. 

L.  &  W 

2.42 
2.45 

4.77 
4.11 

4.685 
4.685 

3,61 
3.78 

3.79 

3.78 

4.775 
4.685 

4  40 

Van  Storch  Col. .  .  . 

4.11 

Boston  Col.— D.  & 

H.  Coal  Co 

4.47 

4.685 

3.61 

4.73 

4.11 

So.  Wilkesbarre  Co. 

L.  &  W.  B 

2.45 

4.49 

4.67 

3.67 

3.67 

4.80 

4.34 

Pine  Brook  Colliery 

f  — Scranton  C.  C. 

2.45 

4.39 

4.69 

3.93 

3.79 

4.78 

4.02 

/Westmoreland  Col., 
^    L.  V.  Coal  Co. .  . . 

2.44 

4.79 

3.67 

3.62 

4.51 

4.10 

No.  5  Col. — Susque- 

hanna C.  C 

3.355 

4.49 

4.80 

3.60 

3.60 

4.78 

4.17 

Average S2.713 


,401     $4,732     $3,688 


.727    $4,737    $4,167 


This  table  illustrates  at  once  the  ^eat  need  of  some  standard- 
ization of  rates  within  the  industry,  and  also  the  practicability 
of  such  standardization.  The  ashmen,  to  take  a  single  instance, 
have  an  average  rate  of  $3.61  per  day,  and  this  is  also  the  rate 
at  four  out  of  the  eight  collieries.  Manifestly,  inasmuch  as  all 
are  performing  the  same  work,  all  should  be  brought  to  one 
rate. 

While  there  may  be  considerable  difference  between  the  work 
of  a  miner  in  the  anthracite  field  and  the  work  of  a  miner  in  the 
bituminous  field,  there  is  no  great  difference  between  the  two 


u 

industries  in  the  work  of  the  miscellaneous  men — that  is,  of  the 
day  men  employed  at  such  occupations  as  blacksmith,  brattice- 
men,  trackmen,  engineers,  firemen,  carpenters,  laborers,  and  the 
like.  The  bituminous  industry  has  for  some  years  standardized 
within  broad  areas  its  employees,  fixing  rates  effective  respec- 
tively for  all  blacksmiths,  for  all  engineers,  for  all  trackmen,  and 
so  forth.  It  is  evident  that  if  this  was  possible  in  the  bituminous 
industry,  it  is  trebly  possible  in  the  anthracite  industry,  because 
here  (1)  the  geographical  area  covered  is  smaller,  insuring 
greater  uniformity  of  living  conditions,  competing  wage  rates  of 
other  industries,  and  prices  of  commodities;  (2)  the  control  of 
the  anthracite  industry  is  much  more  highly  concentrated  than 
the  control  of  the  bituminous  industry;  (3)  the  working  condi- 
tions of  the  different  collieries  are  more  nearly  similar  each 
to  each  than  is  the  case  in  the  bituminous  industry. 

The  increase  that  these  miscellaneous  occupations  have  re- 
ceived since  1912  has  been  greater  than  the  increase  that  took 
place  in  the  cost  of  living;  though  even  so  their  present  rates 
are  below  what  they  should  be  for  the  maintenance  of  a  proper 
standard.  Of  course  this  is  because  the  rates  they  received 
before  1912  were  so  fearfully  inadequate,  that  even  with  the 
comparatively  large  increases  they  are  not  receiving  a  living 
wage. 

The  following  table  gives  the  daily  wage  for  inside  and  outside 
day  labor  for  District  No.  7,  in  effect  in  April,  1912,  and  in 
November,  1918: 

DISTRICT  No.  7 

Daily  Wage  Increase  Relative  Wage  Increase 

in  in 

1913       1920  Dollars  1913  1920  Per  Cent. 
INSIDE: 

Day  Wage  Miners 2.54         4.60  2.06  100.0  181.1  81.1 

Day  Wage   Laborers....   2.20         4.25  2.05  100.0  193.2  93.2 

Skilled   Labor    2.45         4.50  2.05  100.0  183.7  83.7 

Semi-skilled    labor 2.30         4.35  2.05  100.0  189.1  89.1 

OUTSIDE: 

Common  labor   1.54  3.31  1.77  100.0  214.9  114.9 

Semi-skilled    1.54  4.25  2.71  100.0  275.9  175.9 

Skilled   2.20  4.25  2.05  100.0  193.2  93.2 

The  increase  in  per  cent,  since  the  1912  rate  has  been  81.1  for 
the  day  wage  miner  and  175.9  per  cent,  for  the  semi-skilled  out- 
side labor.  The  inside  workers  have  not  in  general  received 
quite  the  increase  in  the  cost  of  living  (which  has  been  about 
100  per  cent,  or  a  little  more),  but  they  have  very  nearly  done 


12 


so.    The  outside  workers,  on  the  other  hand,  have  received  con- 
siderably in  excess  of  this  cost  of  living  increase. 

In  more  detail,  the  following  table  shows  the  increases  received 
in  the  more  important  occupations  of  the  collieries  of  Districts 
No.  1  and  No.  9. 

(Note: — In  spite  of  different  conditions,  the  average  wage  of 
the  day  wage  men  in  Districts  Nos.  1  and  9  are  nearly  the  same. 
This  is  shown  by  the  following  tabulation  of  the  day  wages  in  the 
two  districts  after  April,  1912. 

District  No.  1     District  No.  9 

Company    Miner $2,654  $2,499 

Co.   Miner   Lab 2.374  2.129 

Inside  Laborer 2.101  2.064 

Outside   Laborer 1.745  1.812 

Carpenters  1  C 2.575  2.562 

Blacksmiths  1   C 2.653  2.636 

Ashmen    1.760  1.638 

Slaters,  men 1.289  1.287 

Bratticemen    2,33fi  2.448 

Thus  the  average  of  either  district  may  be  taken  with  accuracy  as  hold- 
ing substantially  true  for  both.) 


AVERAGE  RATES  IN  THE  LARGER  COLLERIES 
OF  DISTRICTS  NOS.  1  AND  9 

Increase 

in 
Dollars 


1912 
(After 
April) 

Company  miner $2 .  654 

Company  miner,  laborer 2 .  374 

Inside  laborer 2 .  101 

Outside  laborer 1 .  745 

Carpenter — 1st  class 2 .  575 

Carpenter — helper 1 .  891 

Blacksmith — 1st  class 2 .  653 

Blacksmith — helper 1 .811 

Ashmen 1 .  760 

Slate  pickers — 1st  class  men 1.289 

Bratticemen 2 .  332 

Trackmen  (inside) 2.661 

Trackmen — helpers 2 .  115 


1918 
(After 
Nov.) 
$4.73 
4.38 
4.236 
3.567 
4.633 
3.727 
4.732 
3.68S 
3.611 
2.713 
4.401 
4.737 
4.167 


2.08 
2.01 
2.13 
1.82 
2.06 
1.83 
2.08 
1.87 
1.85 
1.52 
2.07 
2.07 
2.05 


Increase 

in 
Per  Cent 

80.1 

84.5 

101.6 

104.4 

79.9 

97.1 

78.3 

103.6 

105.2 

110.5 

88.7 

78.0 

96.7 


It  will  be  noticed  that  in  the  above  table,  and  in  the  table  for 
District  No.  7,  the  inside  workers  and  the  higher  paid  outside 
workers  received  an  increase  averaging  a  little  over  $2.00  per 
day,  while  the  lower  paid  outside  workers  received  an  increase 
averaging  only  about  $1.85  per  day.  In  spite  of  this  difference 
in  the  amounts  of  the  increase,  the  lower  paid  workers  figure 
out  a  larger  per  cent,  increase  because  the  $1.85  forms  a  larger 
proportion  of  their  former  wage  than  the  $2.00  of  the  higher 
paid  men  forms  of  theirs. 


13 

It  might  well  be  urged  that  clothing,  food  and  other  necessi- 
ties have  advanced  as  much  more  for  the  lower  paid  men  as  for 
the  higher,  and  that  therefore  all  should  receive  the  same  flat 
increase,  but  in  addition  to  that  something  is  due  the  lower  paid 
men  as  recompense  for  losses  during  the  past  few  years,  and 
this  is  true  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  their  percentage  increases 
have  been  greater  than  the  percentage  increases  in  the  cost  of 
living. 

The  operators  frequently  claim  that  the  rate  for  common  labor 
outside  the  mines  is  the  "yard-stick"  by  which  all  other  rates 
have  been  measured  and  fixed.  This,  of  course,  is  by  no  means 
the  case,  any  more  than  the  rate  of  building  laborers  determines 
the  rate  paid  to  brick  masons  and  carpenters.  There  is  no  objec- 
tion, however,  to  this  method  of  determinations  provided  the  rate 
for  common  labor  is  set  with  due  regard  to  the  necessary  standard 
of  living,  and  that  the  differentials  to  be  paid  for  added  experi- 
ence and  skill  are  sufficiently  high. 

The  present  rate  for  common  labor  is  on  the  average  about  41 
cents  to  44  cents  per  hour  for  an  eight-hour  day.  This  rate  was 
set  by  the  adjustment  made  in  November,  1918,  and,  of  course, 
is  far  too  low  under  present  conditions  of  prices.  The  minimum 
wage  rate  established  by  the  National  War  Labor  Board  in  June, 
1918,  was  for  localities  similar  to  Pennsylvania  either  42  cents 
or  421/2  cents  per  hour  assuming  an  average  ten-hour  day.  The 
ruling  in  the  street  railway  cases,  for  instance,  was  that  "The 
intent  of  the  award  is  to  give  every  adult  male  employee  affected 
engaged  in  an  occupation  essential  to  the  operation  of  the  com- 
pany and  whose  rate  is  not  specifically  fixed  by  the  award  a  daily 
ivage  of  at  least  $4.25  for  ten  hours'  work."  With  an  increased 
cost  of  living  of  about  32  per  cent,  since  June,  1918,  this  daily 
wage  should  be  increased  as  of  today  to  $5.61. 

This  minimum  rate  fixed  by  the  War  Labor  Board  was  not 
intended  to  give  common  labor  an  unusual  rate,  but  was  granted 
in  accordance  with  the  ruling  of  the  Board  that,  "The  period  of 
the  war  is  not  a  normal  period  of  industrial  expansion  from 
which  the  employer  should  expect  unusual  profits  or  the  em- 
ployees abnormal  wages;  that  it  is  an  interregnum  in  which 
industry  is  pursued  only  for  common  cause  and  common  ends." 


14 
Earnings 

The  most  recent  investigation  into  the  earnings  of  anthracite 
mine  workers  was  made  in  January,  1919,  by  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics.  A  half  month  payroll  period,  ending 
January  31,  1919,  was  selected.  In  its  report,  the  Bureau  says, 
"The  ideal  method  of  arranging  the  field  work  of  a  survey  of 
this  kind  would  be  to  have  all  the  schedules  cover  the  same  pay- 
roll period.  It  was  possible  to  carry  this  out  in  the  anthracite 
field.  All  schedules  in  that  branch  of  the  industry  are  for  the 
payroll  period  ending  January  31,  1919."  *  *  *  "In  January 
mines  were  still  running  full  time,  though  with  diminished  in- 
tensity. Thus  all  the  mines  included  in  the  anthracite  field  were 
running  full  time  on  the  date  of  the  survey."  *  *  *  "No 
mines  working  less  than  full  time  were  included  in  the  survey" 
(in  the  anthracite  field). 

The  half  month  period  of  the  survey  included  14  working  days. 
Therefore,  in  order  to  compute  the  average  earnings  of  the 
year,  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  divide  the  total  average  earnings 
of  the  half  month  period  by  14,  in  order  to  obtain  the  average 
daily  wage,  and  then  multiply  the  resulting  figure  by  252,  which 
was  the  average  number  of  days  worked  during  the  year  1919. 

In  the  following  table  is  shown  for  each  of  the  occupations  the 
full  time  daily  earnings  (Column  A).  This  is  the  average  wage 
that  would  be  earned  per  day  while  the  mine  was  open  if  the 
employee  worked.  Column  C  gives  the  average  actual  daily  wage, 
that  is  the  average  wage  earned  per  week  day.  It  is  found, 
as  explained  above,  by  dividing  the  total  average  earnings  for 
the  14-day  period  by  14.  Where  the  figures  in  Column  C  are 
low^er  than  Column  A  it  means  that  the  workers  in  that  occupa- 
tion did  not  work  the  full  time  for  every  day.  Where  C  is  higher 
than  A  it  means  that  overtime  was  worked. 

Column  B  is  the  estimated  full  time  earnings  for  the  year 
1919.  It  is  found  by  multiplying  the  full  time  daily  earnings  by 
252,  which  was  the  estimated  average  number  of  days  worked  in 
the  year. 

Column  D  is  the  estimated  actual  yearly  earnings  for  the  year 
1919.  It  is  found  by  multiplying  the  actual  daily  earnings  by 
252. 


15 


AVERAGE  FULL-TIME  AND  ACTUAL  YEARLY  EARNINGS  BASED  ON 
ONE-HALF  MONTH  PERIOD  IN  JANTJARY,  1919 


Occupation 


Number 

of 
Employes 


Inside: 

Blacksmiths 30 

Bratticemen 116 

Cagers 234 

Car  runners 342 

Company  miners 656 

Co.  miners,  laborers.  .  .  .  632 

Consideration  miners .  .  .  4©8 

Contract  miners 4,887 

Cont.  miners,  laborers .  •  1,855 

Door  tenders  (boj's) ....  247 

Drivers 479 

Engineers 121 

Laborers 1,200 

Machinists 67 

Masons 41 

Motormen ~     247 

Motor  brakemen 1.90 

Pumpmen 104 

Timbermen 170 

Trackmen 163 


Full-time 

Daily 
Earnings 

A 

$4,733 
4.488 
4.160 
4.061 
4.651 
4.208 
5.085 
6.735 
5.112 
.509 
.990 
.518 
.200 
.985 
.614 
4.462 
4.014 
5.221 
5.562 
4.564 


Estimated 
Full-time 
Yearly 
Earnings 
252  Days 
B 

$1193. 
1131. 
1048. 
1023. 
1172. 
1060. 
1281. 
1697. 
1288. 
632 . 
1008. 
1138. 
1058. 
1256. 
1162. 
1124. 
1012. 
1315. 
1402. 
1150. 


Actual 

Daily 

Earnings 


$5,254 
4.486 
4.699 
3.973 
3.914 
3.876 
4.586 
5.683 
3.571 
2.404 
3.761 
5.024 
3.939 
4.592 
4.611 
5.199 
4.274 
5.030 
4.250 
4.674 


Estimated 
Actual 
Yearly 

Earnings 
D 

$1324. 
1130. 
1184. 
1001. 

987. 

977. 
1156. 
1432. 

900. 

606. 

948. 
1266. 

993. 
1157. 
1162. 
1310. 
1077. 
1267 . 
1071. 
1177. 


Total  inside  occupations .  .      12,279        $5 .  407 


$1363. 


$4,655        $1173. 


Outside : 

Ashmen  .  .  .  .* 72 

Blacksmiths 60 

Cagers 119 

Carpenters .  .- 250 

Car  runners 83 

Dumpers 88 

Engineers 248 

Firemen 314 

Laborers 1,211 

Loaders 199 

Machinists 112 

Oilers 77 

Repairmen 113 

Timber  cutters 115 

Trackmen 28 

Outside — Breaker : 

Jig  runners 81 

Platemen 180 

Slaters  (boys) 580 

Total  outside  occupations.  3,930 

Grand  Total — Inside  and 

Outside  Occupations. . .  .  16,209 


$3,886 

$979. 

$4,059 

$1023 

4.573 

1152. 

5.140 

1295 

3.701 

932. 

4.332 

1092 

4.516 

1138. 

5 .  306 

1337 

3.629 

915. 

3.552 

895 

3.591 

905. 

3.559 

897 

4.500 

1134. 

5.271 

1328 

4.570 

1151. 

4.616 

1163 

3.549 

894. 

3.710 

935 

3.581 

902. 

3.923 

989 

4.132 

1041. 

5.200 

1310 

3.470 

874. 

4.041 

1018 

3.879 

977. 

4.279 

1079 

3.619 

912. 

4.208 

1060 

3.814 

961. 

3.947 

995 

3.281 

827. 

3.837 

966 

3.441 

867. 

3.652 

920 

2.386 

601. 

2.139 

539 

$3 . 629 


$914. 


$4,976        $1254. 


$4,467         $1126. 


16 

While  it  is  probable  that  252  working  days  a  year  is  rather 
more  than  can  reasonably  be  expected  for  an  average  of  the 
future,  it  is  a  less  number  than  was  worked  during  1918  and  1917. 
This  matter  is  fully  discussed  in  the  exhibit  on  the  irregularities 
of  employment. 

The  above  table  shows  average  yearly  earnings  for  anthracite 
mine  workers  as  follows : 

1919  1919 

Full  Time  Actual 

Earnings  Earnings 

252  Days  252  Days 

Inside   occupations $1,363  $1,173 

Outside    occupations 914  979 

All    occupations 1,254  1,126 

Note  that  the  average  actual  earnings  for  outside  occupations 
is  larger  than  the  full  time  earnings.  This  is  because  of  the  large 
amount  of  overtime  put  in  by  the  outside  men.  The  chief  differ- 
ence between  full  time  and  actual  earnings  comes  in  the  case  of 
contract  miners  and  their  laborers,  that  is  to  say  these  two  occu- 
pations apparently  worked  a  smaller  proportion  of  the  full  time 
than  any  other  occupations.  These  figures  are  really  meaning- 
less, however,  as  these  two  occupations  depend  not  on  hours,  but 
on  tonnage.  If  the  contract  miners  had  worked  the  full  time,  the 
number  of  days  worked  by  the  mines  would  have  been  cut  down, 
and  the  outside  occupations  would  also  have  been  forced  to  put  in 
more  overtime  during  the  days  worked  than  was  actually  the  case. 

While  we  have  included  earnings  for  overtime  in  the  above 
table,  we  have  done  so  simply  because  we  had  no  data  whereby 
we  could  segregate  these  earnings  and  show  what  the  daily  and 
yearly  earnings  would  be  without  overtime.  It  seems  but  fair, 
and  in  accordance  with  the  best  thought  of  economists  and  with 
recent  decisions  of  arbitration  boards  and  commissions,  to  base 
wage  rates  upon  possible  earnings  during  a  reasonable  number  of 
hours  per  day  and  a  reasonable  number  of  days  per  year.  "The 
amount  of  money  to  he  earned  by  anticipated  overtime  should  not 
be  inchuled  in  the  amount  to  be  established  as  a  fair  return  to  the 
worker-" 

The  Pennsylvania  Workmen's  Compensation  Commission  in  a 
report  compiled  jointly  by  the  Insurance  Department  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  the  Statistical  Department  of  the  Pennsylvania  Com- 
pensation Rating  and  Inspection  Bureau  give  the  average  weekly 
earnings  of  all  employees  in  the  anthracite  industry  as  follows : 


17 

Year  Average  Weekly  Earnings 

1916  $13.98 

1917 15.02 

1918  17.69 

These  earnings,  however,  are  full-time  earnings,  assuming  the 
mines  to  be  open.  They  are  computed  by  taking  the  six-months' 
actual  earnings  and  dividing  by  the  days  worked  during  the 
period.  On  this  basis,  taking  the  days  worked  from  the  reports 
of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  the  actual  average  yearly 
earnings  would  be : 


Year  Average  Yearly  Earnings 

1916 $590.00 

1917 713.00 

1918 863.00 

The  distribution  of  the  weekly  earnings  is  shown  by  the  table 
below.  This  table  shows  the  number  of  employees  receiving 
weekly  wages  below  $10,  and  in  groups  of  $2  increments,  for 
1916,  1917  and  1918.  The  chart  follov/ing  the  table  shows  the 
same  figures  graphically. 

ANTHRACITE  EARNINGS  REPORTED  BY  PENNSYLVANIA  WORKMEN'S 
COMPENSATION  COMMISSION 

1916  1917  1918 


Employees  Recciviiig  Num- 

Under  $10 289 

$10.  and  under  $12 277 

$12.  and  under  $14 387 

$14.  and  under  $16 348 

$16.  and  under  $18 172 

$18.  and  under  $20 63 

$20.  and  under  $22 53 

$22.  and  under  $24 33 

$24.  and  under  $26 21 

$26.  and  under  $28 11 

$28.  and  under  $30 9 

$30.  and  under  $32 5 

$32.  and  under  $34 0 

$34.  and  under  $40 4 

$40.  and  over 4 


Per 

Num- 

Per 

Num- 

Per 

Cent. 

ber 

Cent 

ber 

Cent 

17.2 

279 

14.3 

133 

8.5 

16.5 

311 

15.9 

172 

11.1 

23.1 

372 

19.1 

111 

7.1 

20.8 

297 

15.2 

260 

16.7 

10.3 

263 

13.5 

203 

13.1 

3.8 

144 

7.4 

246 

15.8 

3.2 

102 

5.2 

144 

9.3 

2.0 

84 

4.3 

79 

5.1 

1.2 

44 

2.3 

64 

4.1 

0.7 

25 

1.3 

41 

2.6 

0.5 

7 

0.3 

38 

2.4 

0.3 

9 

0.4 

19 

1.2 

3 

0.1 

18 

1.2 

0.2 

9 

0.5 

21 

1.3 

0.2 

4 

0.2 

6 

0.4 

Total 1,696       100.0       1,953       100.0       1,555       100.0 


18 


19 

The  Pennsylvania  Department  of  Internal  Affairs  reported 
average  yearly  earnings  for  anthracite  workers  for  the  years 
from  1903  to  1912,  inclusive.  A  table  of  these  earnings  follows. 
The  figures,  however,  are  not  as  reliable  as  the  figures  computed 
from  the  survey  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics 
nor  are  they  as  reliable  as  the  figures  reported  by  the  Workmen's 
Compensation  Commission. 

AVERAGE  YEARLY  EARNINGS 
PENNSYLVANIA  ANTHRACITE  MINES 

1912  1911  1910  1909  1908  1907  1906  1905  1904  1903  1902 

Miners 729  744  711  651  673  717  641  690  685  701  496 

Miners' laborers 496  510  468  441  387  489  421  458  462  447  .... 

Other  inside  men 541  558  526  489  505  574  463  530  781  \  .f.,  oro 

Boys,  inside 286  272  182  220  229  267  241  242  241  /  ^"^^  '^^'^ 

Outside  workmen 527  535  541  482  500  558  494  543  542  480  306 

Breaker  employees.  ..  358  374  329  323  329  422  1  ori  907  077  00  ^ 

Boys,  outside 242  232  209  192  206  278  /  "^^^  ^*'  ^^^     ^»4  . .  . . 

Average 560  573  544  498  496  574  494  521  574  491  .... 


BEFORE  THE  UNITED  STATES  ANTHRACITE 
COAL  COMMISSION 


EMPLOYES  EXHIBIT  NUMBER— 


Comparison  of  Earnings  and  Wage  Rates 

in  the  Anthracite  and  Bituminous 

Mines  of  Pennsylvania 


Presented  by 
W.    JETT    LAUCK 

On  behalf  of 

John  L.  Lewis,  President 

Philip  Murray,  Vice-President 

F.  P.  Hanaway,  International  Representative 

Percy  Tetlow,  Statistician 

John  Dernpsey  I  Committee  Representing 

1  homas   Kennedy  >       ^^   ..  •  .     i     -;       j  n 

ai    n  ^J  I       Uistricts   I,   /  and  V 

ns.  J.  Vjolden  ) 

Of  the 

United  Mine  Workers  of  America 


WASHINGTON 
1920 


This  exhfbii  was  prepared  under  tire 

Supervision  of 

W.  JETT  LAUCK 

by   Arthur   Sturgis 


BEFORE  THE  UNITED  STATES  ANTHRACITE 
COAL  COMMISSION 


EMPLOYES  EXHIBIT  NUMBER- 


Comparison  of  Earnings  and  Wage  Rates 

in  the  Anthracite  and  Bituminous 

Mines  of  Pennsylvania 


Presented  by 
W.    JETT    LAUCFC 


On  behalf  of 


United  Mine  Workers  of  America 


WASHINGTON 
1920 


5A 


COMPARISON  OF  EARNINGS  AND  WAGE   RATES 

IN  THE  ANTHRACITE  AND  BITUMINOUS 

MINES  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 

The  present  yearly  earnings  in  the  anthracite  mines  are  consider- 
ubly  lower  than  they  are  in  the  bituminous  mines  of  Pennsylvania, 
although  in  former  years  there  was  very  little  difference  between  the 
two  industries.    This  is  shown  in  the  table  below. 

COMPARATIVE   YEARLY   EARNINGS— ALL   EMPLOYEES    PENNSYLVANIA 
ANTHRACITE  ANT)  PENNSYLVANIA  BITUMINOUS  MINES. 


Average  earnings 

Average  earnings 

Pennsylvania 

Pennsylvania 

anthracite. 

bituminous. 

1903  

491 

541 

1904  

574 

452 

1905  

521 

503 

1906  

494 

545 

1907  

574 

604 

1908  

496 

458 

1 1909  

498 

524 

1910  

544 

574 

1911  

673 

584 

1912  

560 

663 

1913  ■ 

1914  \ 

No  data 

No  data 

1915  J 

1916  

690 

689 

1917  

713 
863 

877 

1918  

1216 

1919  

1126 

1337 

The  sources  from  which  this  table  is  compiled  are  as  follows: 
The  figures  for  the  years  1903  to  1912,  inclusive,  are  taken  from  the 
reports  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Department  of  Internal  Affairs, 
and  are  computed  by  the  Statistical  Bureau  of  that  Department  by 
dividing  the  total  yearly  payroll  by  the  average  number  of  total 
employees. 

The  basic  figures  upon  which  this  Statistical  Bureau  made  its  re- 
port were  furnished  by  the  operators  of  the  coal  mines,  and  it  is  to 


5B 


4 

be  presumed,  therefore,  that  the  figures  are  accurate.  Of  course, 
the  resulting  earnings  in  the  table  cannot  be  compared  from  year  to 
year — that  is,  the  year  1903  cannot  be  compared  with  the  year  1916, 
nor  the  year  1916  with  the  year  1919,  because,  as  shown  below,  the 
soui'ce  is  different  and  the  method  of  computing  the  figures  is  dif- 
ferent. But  each  year  presents  comparable  figures  as  between  the 
anthiacite  and  the  Pennsylvania  bituminous  fields,  because  in  each 
year  the  figures  for  the  two  fields  are  derived  from  the  same  source 
and  the  Si^me  method  of  computation  is  used.  It  is  doubtless  true, 
moreover,  that  the  figures  from  the  Department  of  Internal  Affairs 
i-etiect  accurately  the  relative  conditions  as  to  earnings  between 
the  two  fields,  though  the  absolute  earnings  cannot  be  so  confidently 
relied  upon. 

The  figures  for  1916  to  1918,  inclusive,  are  derived  from  a  report 
of  the  Pennsylvania  State  ^Yorkmen's  Compensation  Commission, 
compiled  jointly  by  the  Insurance  Department  of  Pennsylvania  and 
the  Statistical  Department  of  the  Pennsylvania  Compensation  Rating 
and  Inspection  Bureau.  These  figures  are  published  as  average  full- 
time  weekly  earnings,  from  which  the  yearly  earnings  are  derived 
by  first  finding  the  daily  earnings  and  tlien  multiplying  by  the  num- 
ber of  days  worked  in  the  respective  fields  in  Pennsylvania  as  re- 
ported by  the  United  States  Geological  Survey. 

Here,  again,  the  same  method  of  computation  is  followed  for  both 
anthracite  and  bituminous  earnings,  so  a  comparison  between  the 
two  fields  for  any  one  year  presents  the  relative  difference  during 
that  year. 

The  figures  for  1919  are  based  upon  a  survey  made  by  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics.  The  survey  of  the  anthracite 
mines  was  made  at  a  time  when  all  the  mines  covered  by  the  survey 
were  working  full  time,  and  the  yearly  earnings  given  in  the  table 
are  the  average  daily  earnings  found  by  the  survey  multiplied  by  the 
average  number  of  days  worked  (252)  in  the  anthracite  field  during 
1919.  These  figures  include  a  large  amount  of  overtime  earnings 
that  should  preferably  be  omitted.  The  survey  of  the  bituminous 
mines  was  made  at  a  time  when  the  mines  were  operating  from  one- 
half  to  full  time,  the  actual  proportion  of  full  time  that  the  mines 
were  in  operation  being  73..3  per  cent.  The  figures  in  the  table  are 
twenty-four  times  the  weighted  average  of  the  actual  earnings  for 
Pennsylvania  found  for  a  half  month  payroll  period  by  the  survey, 
and  correspond  to  an  average  of  246  days  worked  during  the  year. 

During  the  year  1919  there  was  a  strike  in  the  bituminous  field 
of   Pennsylvania   that   disorganized    the    industry    for  about   two 


months.  lu  making  the  comparison  of  yearly  earnings  between  an- 
thracite and  bituminous  workers  it  is  thought  preferable  to  elimi- 
nate this  strike  from  the  computations.  Before  the  President's 
Bituminous  Coal  Commission,  the  soft  coal  operators  produced  fig- 
ures of  days  worked  in,  the  Pittsburgh  thick-vein  district  and  the 
Pittsburgh  thin-vein  district  for  the  first  ten  months  of  1919,  as 
follows : 


Days  worked  first 
10  months  of  1919. 

Pittsburgh  thick  vein  district 

217 

Pittsburgh  thin  vein  district 

197 

At  this  rate,  the  days  worked  during  a  year  of  twelve  months 
would  be  for  1919  from  261  to  236,  the  simple  average  of  which  is 
248,  or  substantially  the  same  as  the  246  figure  in  which  our  compu- 
tation results. 

The  above  table  of  bituminous  earnings  includes  also  a  small  num- 
ber of  coke  workers  in  the  years  1904  to  1912,  inclusive,  an  occupation 
that  has  no  parallel  in  the  anthracite  industry.  The  effect  of  this  in- 
clusion is  minute,  however,  as  the  coke  workers  form  less  than  7 
per  cent,  of  the  total  number  of  bituminous  workers,  and,  as  their 
average  wage  is  not  far  from  the  average  wage  of  all  the  employees, 
the  maximum  variation  being  from  7.16  per  cent  higher  to  7.99  per 
cent  lower  than  the  average  waga  The  effect  of  the  inclusion  of  the 
coke  workers  is,  therefore,  less  than  one-half  of  1  per  cent. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  the  anthracite  average  earn- 
ings include  those  of  boys  to  a  greater  extent  than  do  the  bituminous 
earnings.  This  fact  makes  the  table  a  conservative  one,  because  the 
fact  that  is  brought  out  below  is  that  in  the  early  years  the  anthra- 
cite earnings  were  on  an  average  about  the  same  as  the  bituminous 
earnings,  whereas  in  the  recent  years  the  bituminous  earnings  have 
become  considerably  greater  than  the  anthracite  earnings.  The  num- 
ber of  boys  employed  during  the  early  years  was  much  greater  than 
now,  and  their  age  (and  proportionate  earnings)  were  formerly 
lower  than  it  now  is.  Thus  if  the  boys  had  been  omitted  from  the 
table,  the  relative  change  that  has  taken  place  between  the  anthracite 
and  the  bituminous  earnings  would  be  shown  to  be  greater  than  is 
shown  in  the  table.  In  support  of  this  statement,  the  following  table 
gives  the  percentage  of  boys  for  the  year  1902  (in  the  collieries  of 


the  Lehigh  Coal  &  Navigation  Company,  according  to  the  report  of 
the  Anthracite  Strike  Commission)  and  for  the  year  1919  (from  the 
report  of  the  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics  of  its  survey  in  January, 
1919)  : 


Number  of  boys.  |  Per  cent  of  total  employees. 


1902. 


Inside  mines   I  114 

Outside  mines    I  761 

Total 1  875 


1919. 


247 
580 

827 


1902. 


2.227 
14.864 

17.091 


1919. 


1.524 
3.578 

5.102 


Thus  during  the  years  when  the  number  of  boys  was  relatively 
high  the  earnings  of  the  two  fields  were  about  the  same,  while  for  the 
years  when  the  number  of  boys  was  low  the  anthracite  earnings 
(which  include  the  earnings  of  these  boys)  was  lower  than  the 
bituminous  earnings,  so  if  the  boys  were  omitted  from  the  total 
average,  the  relative  change  that  has  taken  place  would  be,  as  stated 
above,  greater  than  is  shown  in  the  table. 

The  figures  in  the  table  are  shown  graphically  in  the  follov>iiig 
chart : 


_^a 


-IIOQ 


J ! t .„L 


It  is  evident  that  from  1903  to  1911  the  earnings  in  the  anthracite 
mines  Avere  approximately  the  same  as  they  were  in  the  bituminous 
mines  of  Pennsylvania.  Sometimes  one  is  higher,  and  sometimes 
the  other.  In  recent  years,  however,  the  bituminous  earnings  have 
been  considerably  higher  than  in  the  anthracite  mines,  the  average 
exceeding  the  anthracite  average  by  the  following  yearly  amounts: 


Amounts  and  percentages  by  which  yearly 
average  earnings  in  the  bituminous  mines 
of  Pennsylvania  exceed  the  yearly  average 
earnings  in  the  anthracite  mines. 


Thus  in  order  to  raise  the  earnings  of  the  anthracite  workers  to 
The  same  level  as  that  of  the  bituminous  workers  on  the  basis  of 
the  number  of  days  worked  in  the  respective  fields  during  1919,  it 
would  be  necessary  to  increase  the  basic  rates  in  the  anthracite 
mines  by  18.7  per  cent. 

The  recent  increase  awarded  to  the  bituminous  mine  workers  by 
the  President's  Bituminous  Coal  Commission  was  stated  by  that 
Commission  to  be  an  average  of  about  27  per  cent  (the  award 
amounted  to  between  27  per  cent  and  34  per  cent  for  the  miners  and 
to  20  per  cent  for  the  day  men).  In  order,  then,  to  bring  the  exist- 
ing anthracite  rates  up  to  the  level  of  the  bituminous  rates  as  thus 
increased,  it  would  be  necessary  to  increase  the  present  anthracite 
rates  by  18.7  per  cent,  and  then  by  27  per  cent  on  top  of  that,  or  a 
total  increase  of  50.74  per  cent. 

Subdividing  the  mine  workers  into  groups  of  occupations,  the  aver- 
age yearly  earnings  for  each  group  from  1903  to  1912  is  shown  by 
the  following  two  tables : 

AVERAGE   YEARLY    EARNINGS    PENNSYLVANIA    ANTHRACITE   MINES. 


1912 

1911 

1910 

1909 

1908 

Miners  

729 
496 
541 

286 
527 
358 
242 

744 
510 
558 
272 
535 
374 
232 

711 
468 
526 
182 
541 
329 
209 

651 
441 
489 
220 
482 
323 
192 

673 

Miners'  laborers 

387 

Other  inside  men 

505 

Boys — inside  

229 

Outside  workmen 

500 

Breaker  employees 

329 

Boys — outside  

206 

Average 

560 

573 

544 

498 

496 

AVERAGE   YEARLY   EARNINGS   PENNSYLVANIA   ANTHRACITE 
MINES— (Continued). 


1907 

1906 

1905 

1904     1903 

1902 

Miners  

717 

489 

574 

267 

558 

422  ) 

278  1 

641 
421 
463 
241 
494 

351 

690 
458 
530 
248 
543 

287 

685 
462 
781  ) 
241  j 

542 

277 

701 

447 

461 
480 

284 

496 

Miners'  laborers 

Other  inside  men 

Boys — inside  

363 

Outside  workmen 

Breaker  employees  — 
Boys — outside  

306 

Average 

574 

494 

521 

574 

491 

AVERAGE   YEARLY   EARNINGS   PENNSYLVANIA  BITUMINOUS  MINES. 


1912 

1911 

1910 

1909 

1908 

Miners— pick  

674 
654 
709 
421 
631 
314 
610 

573 
554 
659 
293 
615 
259 
553 

588 
537 
641 
254 
518 
277 
538 

524 
507 
564 
251 
529 
216 
501 

447 

Miners — machine  

447 

Other  inside  men  (over  16) 

Other  inside  boys  (under  16) 

Outside  men  (over  16) 

592 
275 
539 

Outside  boys  (under  16) 

Coke  workers 

169 
424 

Average 

663 

584 

574 

524 

458 

AVERAGE  YEARLY  EARNINGS  PENNSYLVANIA  BITUMINOUS 
MINES— (Continued). 


1907 

1906 

1905 

1904 

1903 

1902 

Miners — pick  

602 
540 
721 
256 
650 
425 
586 

519 
496 
666 
223 
624 
212 
570 

491  ) 

495  j 

525 

221 

525 

222 

539 

443 
488 
173 
488 
176 
445 

538 
474 
223 
530 
240 

Miners — machine  

Other  inside  men 

Other  inside  boys 

Outside  men 

504 
547 

454 

Outside  boys 

Coke  workers 

Average 

604 

545 

503 

452 

541 

The  figures  in  the  above  two  tables  are  from  the  reports  of  the 
Pennsylvania  State  Department  of  Internal  Affairs. 

It  should  be  noted  that  the  earnings  of  the  anthracite  miners 
exceeded  each  year  the  earnings  of  the  bituminous  miner,  both  pick 
and  machine,  the  percentage  difference  being  as  follows : 


10 


I  Percentage  by  which  yearly  earnings  of 
Year.  I       anthracite    miner    formely    exceeded 

I      yearly    earnings    of    bituminous    pick 
miner. 


1903 I  30.3 

1904 I  54.6 

1905 I  40.5 

1906 I  23.5 

1907 !  19-1 

190S I  50.5 

1909 I  24.2 

1910 I  20.9 

1911 I  29.8 

1912 I  10.0 

Simple  average I  30.3 

If  the  work  done  by  the  anthracite  contract  miner  and  the  bitumi- 
nous pick  miner  is  at  all  comparable,  it  seems  as  though  the  anthra- 
cite miner  necessarily  requires  more  experience  and  skill.  Never- 
theless, the  anthracite  miner  has  lost  the  differential  in  earnings  that 
he  formerly  possessed,  as  is  shown  by  a  study  made  by  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics  in  June,  July  and  August  of  1918. 
At  that  time  it  was  found  that  the  average  earnings  per  day  that 
the  mine  is  open  (per  ''start")  of  the  anthracite  contract  miner  was 
ii?r).62.  The  correctness  of  this  figure  was  checked  by  inquiries,  made 
of  the  principal  anthracite  companies  of  Pennsylvania,  asking  for 
a  statement  of  the  number  of  contract  miners  employed  in  all  the 
collieries  of  each  company  and  the  average  net  earnings  per  "start" — 
that  is,  the  earnings  after  deductions  for  mine  supplies  and  black- 
smithing.  Returns  were  received  from  69  companies,  representing 
33,395  contract  miners.  The  average  earnings  for  all  of  these  69 
companies  was  |5.59,  against  |5.62,  as  shown  by  the  data  collected 
by  the  Bureau's  agents. 

In  November,  1918,  an  increase  was  granted  in  the  contract  rates 
of  the  anthracite  mines  amounting  to  12  per  cent,  and  this  12  per 
cent  raised  the  average  earnings  of  $5.59  to  §6.26, 

The  study  of  the  Bureau  was  also  extended  to  the  bituminous 
field  of  Pennsylvania,  and  it  was  found  that  the  average  earnings 
of  the  bituminous  pick  miner  was  |6.22,  or  substantially  the  same 
as  the  earnings  of  the  anthracite  contract  miner  after  the  increase 
of  November,  1918,  so  the  anthracite  contract  miner,  instead  of  re- 
ceiving greater  earnings  than  the  bituminous  miner,  as  he  did 
through  all  the  years  from  1903  to  1912,  was  in  1919  on  substantially 
the  same  basis  per  day,  while,  owing  to  the  avrard  of  the  President's 


11 

Coal  Commission,  he  is   now  considerably  behind  the  bituminous 
miner. 

The  study  of  the  Bureau  in  1918  showed  the  following  amounts 
by  which  the  day  men  in  the  bituminous  mines  exceeded  the  day  men 
in  the  anthracite  mines.  In  considering  the  table  it  should  be  noted 
that  there  are  more  unskilled  outside  workers  in  proportion  in  the 
anthracite  than  in  the  bituminous  industry,  and  that  it  is  these  men 
who  are  the  most  behind  the  bituminous  scale,  though  formerly  their 
yearly  earnings  were  about  on  an  equality. 

COMPARISON   OF   DAILY   EARNINGS   IN   1918    OF  ANTHRACITE   AND 
BITUMINOUS   MINE   WORKERS. 


Anthracite, 
average. 


Average  bituminous 

exceeds 
average  anthracite. 


Percentage, 


Outside:  i 

Blacksmiths I 

Carpenters  I 

Hoisting  engineers 

Stationary  engineers f 

Power  engineers | 

Locomotive  engineers | 

Firemen | 

Footmen  and  headmen [ 

Jig  runners I 

Laborers   ! 

Machine  repairmen | 

Slaters   (boys) [ 

Stablemen | 

Teamsters | 

Trackmen | 

Drivers [ 

I 
Inside:  I 

Blacksmiths ( 

Brat t icemen  &  carpenters.  .| 

Door  boys [ 

Drivers | 

Engineers,  locomotive | 

Slope  engineers j 

Footmen  and  headmen | 

Laborers [ 

Machine  repairmen | 

Company  miners j 

Pipemen  | 

Pumpmen j 

Car  runner j 

Stablemen j 

Timbermen | 

Track  layers 


3.68 
3.46 
1.95 
2.87 
3.46 
3.26 
3.0.5 
3.22 
3.48 
3.71 
3.38 
3.45 
3.11 
3.41 
3.60 
3.55 


12 

This  table  of  the  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics  is  not  a  weighted 
average,  but  is  a  mean  between  the  high  and  the  low  rates.  The  cor- 
rectness of  the  Bureau's  figures,  however,  is  evidenced  by  the  esti- 
mate it  made  of  the  1918  earnings  of  the  contract  miner,  which  later 
investigation  checked,  as  stated  above,  within  three  cents  per  day. 

The  above  differences  between  the  daily  earnings  in  the  two 
industries  fully  explain  the  difference  of  40.9  per  cent  that  was 
shown  above  to  exist  in  1918  by  the  figures  of  the  State  Workmen's 
Compensation  Commission.  In  this  connection,  it  is  well  to  remem- 
ber that  the  day  men  in  the  anthracite  and  in  the  bituminous  indus- 
tries are  fairly  comparable  in  their  work,  though  there  is,  of  course, 
little  comparison  that  can  be  made  in  the  occupations  of  miner. 
Thus  there  is  every  reason  why  the  anthracite  day  man  should  expect 
to  receive  as  high  a  wage  as  the  day  man  in  the  bituminous  field, 
and  at  the  same  time  it  is  entirely  reasonable  for  the  anthracite 
contract  miner  to  feel  that  he  is  entitled  to  receive  as  much  higher 
earnings  than  the  bituminous  pick  miner  as  he  was  accustomed  to 
get  during  the  pre-war  years  from  190.3  to  1912, 

The  wage  adjustment  that  was  made  in  November,  1918,  added 
about  a  dollar  a  day  to  the  earnings  of  the  anthracite  day  men. 
This  reduces,  as  of  the  year  1919,  the  amounts  by  which  the  bitumi- 
nous earnings  exceed  the  anthracite  earnings  by  an  equal  amount. 
This  cuts  down  the  per  cent  excess  of  the  bituminous  men  and  ac- 
counts for  the  reduction,  found  above,  in  the  excess  that  bituminous 
yearly  earnings  exceeded  anthracite  yearly  earnings  (this  reduction 
was  from  40.9  per  cent  in  1918  to  18.7  per  cent  in  1919). 

Days  Worked. 

Before  the  start  of  the  war  in  1914  the  average  days  worked  in 
the  Pennsylvania  bituminous  mines  exceeded  the  days  worked  in  the 
anthracite  mines.  This  is  shown  in  the  table  below,  and  graphically 
in  the  following  chart.  The  figures  are  taken  from  reports  of  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey. 


13 


DAYS   WORKED   IN  ANTHRACITE   AND   BITUMINOUS   FIELDS. 


Pennsylvania 
anthracite 

Pennsylvania 
bituminous 

Per  cent  by  which 
anthracite  days 
worked  is  lower 
than  bituminous 

1890  

200 
203 
198 

200.3 
197 
190 
196 
174 
150 

181.4 
152 
173 
166 
196 
116 

160.6 
206 
200 
215 
195 
220 

207.2 
200 
229 
246 
231 
257 

232.6 
245 
230 
253 
285 
293 

261.2 
252 

232 
223 
223 

226.0 
190 
165 
206 
206 
205 

194.2 
229 
245 
242 
230 
248 

238.8 
235 
196 
231 
231 
255 

229.6 
201 
238 
233 
252 
267 

238.2 
214 
226 
259 
261 
269 

245.8 

* 

1891  

1892  

Average  for  period 

13% 

1893  

1894  

1895  

1896  

1897  

Average  for  period 

7% 

1898  

1899  

1900  

1901  

1902  

Average  for  period 

49% 

1903  

1904  

1906  

1907  

Average  for  period 

11% 

1908  

1910  

■^ 

1912  

1913  

Average  for  period 

3% 

1914  

1915  

1917  

1918  

Average  for  period 

1919  Estimated 

14 


With  the  exception  of  the  five-year  period  from  1914  to  1918,  in- 
clusive, the  average  of  days  worked  during  every  five-year  period  back 
to  1890  in  the  bituminous  field  exceeds  the  average  in  the  anthracite 
field.  The  1919  figures  of  days  worked  in  the  Pennsylvania  bitumi- 
nous field,  ignoring  the  strike,  was  about  248,  but  the  anthracite 
figure  dropped  from  the  1918  high  point  of  293  to  252. 


15 

It  is  probable  that  with  the  coming  of  normal  conditions  the  pre- 
war comparison  between  the  two  fields  will  once  more  be  restored, 
though  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the  ditference  will  be  as  great  as 
existed  prior  to  1903  (that  is,  prior  to  the  introduction  of  the  sum- 
mer discount  in  the  anthracite  market).  If  this  is  the  case,  then, 
the  average  number  of  days  worked  in  the  anthracite  field  may  be 
expected  to  be  lower  than  in  the  bituminous  field  by  from  3  per  cent 
to  11  per  cent. 

The  day  rates  in  the  anthracite  field,  then,  should  be  from  3  per 
cent  to  11  per  cent  higher  than  in  the  bituminous  field.  Formerly 
they  were  higher,  but  now  they  are  decidedly  lower. 

Day  Rates. 

The  table  below  gives  the  average  daily  wages  in  the  tw^o  fields 
from  1903  to  1912,  inclusive,  as  reported  by  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Department  of  Internal  Affairs : 

.WERAGE  DAILY  WAGE— PENNSYLVANIA  ANTHRACITE  MINERS. 


Miners  

Miners'  laborers  .  . 
Other  inside  men. . 
Boys — inside  mine  . 
Outside  workmen  . 
Breaker  employees 
Boys — outside    .    .. 

Average 


1912 


3.54 
2.40 
2.63 
1.39 
2.56 
1.74 
1.17 


2.72 


1911 


3.19 
2.19 
2.40 
1.17 
2.30 
1.61 
1.00 


2.46 


1910 


3.15 
2.07 
2.33 

.81 
2.40 
1.45 

.93 


2.41 


1909 


3.06 
2.07 
2.30 
1.03 
2.26 
1.52 
.90 


2.34 


1908 


3.03 
1.74 
2.27 
1.03 
2.25 
1.48 
.93 


2.23 


AVERAGE  DAILY  WAGE— PENNSYLVANIA  ANTHRACITE  MINERS— 

(Continued). 


1907 

1906 

1905 

1904 

1903 

1902 

Miners   

.       2.95 
.       2.01 
2.36 
1.10 
.       2.30 
.       1.74  ) 
.       1.15  j 

3.09 
2.03 
2.24 
1.16 
2.38 

1.69 

2.97 
1.97 
2.29 
1.07 
2.34 

1.24 

2.96 
2.00 
3.38) 
1.05  f    1 
2.34 

1.20 

2.96 
1.89 

1.94 
2.03 

1.20 

2  8*? 

Miners'  laborers  .... 
Other  inside  men. . . . 
Boys — inside  mine  .  . . 
Outside  workmen  .... 
Breaker  employees . . . 
Boys — outside 

2.10 
1.73 

Average 

.       2.36 

2.39 

2.24 

2.48       1 

1 

2.07 

.... 

16 


AVERAGE   DAILY   WAGE— PENNSYLVANIA   BITUMINOUS   MINERS. 


1912 

1911 

2.52 

2.31 

2.44 

2.24 

2.65 

2.66 

1.57 

1.18 

2.35 

2.48 

1.17 

1.04 

2.07 

2.23 

1910 


1909 


1908 


Miners — pick  

Miners — machine  

Other  inside  men  (over  16) . . 
Other  inside  boys   (under  16) , 

Outside  men    (over  16) , 

Outside  boys  (under  16) , 

Coke  workers , 


Average . 


2.48 


2.35 


2.26 
2.04 
2.24 
.96 
1.97 
1.04 
2.23 


2.19 


2.01 
2.01 
2.16 

.96 
2.07 

.83 
1.92 


2.00 


1.90 
1.88 
2.49 
1.15 
2.26 
.71 
1.78 


1.93 


AVERAGE    DAILY    WAGE— PENNSYLVANIA    BITUMINOUS    MINERS— 

(Contmued). 


1907 

1906 

19Q5 

1904 

1903 

1902 

Miners — pick 

Miners — machine  .... 

Other  inside  men 

Other  inside  boys 

Outside  men 

Outside  boys 

Coke  workers 

2.24 
2.01 
2.31 
.95 
2.42 
1.58 
2.19 

2.53 
2.41 
3.25 
1.09 

3.04 
1.03 
2.04 

2.18) 
2.20  3 
2.3.5 

.93 
2.33 

.98 
2.06 

2.17 
2.39 

.85 
2.39 

.86 
2.05 

2.29 
2.45 
95 
2.26 
1.02 

2.16 
2.24 

i'.si 

Average 

2.25 

2.66 

2.21 

2.26 

2.31 

As  seen  in  this  table,  the  daily  wage  of  the  anthracite  miner  was 
higher  than  that  of  the  bituminous  miner,  while  in  the  other  occu- 
pations the  anthracite  wage  is  either  higher  or  else  fluctuates,  being 
sometimes  higher  and  sometimes  lower. 

As  contrasted  with  this,  the  average  hourly  earnings,  as  found  in 
1919  by  the  survey  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics, 
are  given  below : 


17 

ANTHRACITE. 


Occupation 


Average  earnings 
per  hour 


Inside: 

Blacksmiths    

Brattice  men 

Cagers   

Car  runners 

Company  miners 

Company  miners'  laborers 

Consideration   miners 

Contract  miners 

Contract  miners'  laborers , 

Door  tenders  (boys) 

Drivers    

Engineers   

Laborers    

Machinists    

Masons    

Motormen  

Motor  brakemen 

Pumpmen  

Timbermen   

Trackmen   

Total  inside  occupations 

Outside: 

Ashmen   

Blacksmiths   

Cagers    

Carpenters   

Car  runners 

Dumpers   

Engineers    

Firemen   

Laborers 

Loaders   

Machinists    

Oilers   

Repairmen  

Timber  cutters 

Trackmen   

Outside  Breaker: 

Jig  runners 

Platemen   

Slaters   (boys) 

Total  outside  occupations 

Grand  total,  inside  and  outside  occupations. 


PENNSYLVANIA  BITUMINOUS. 


Drivers   

Laborers,  inside. . 
Laborers,    outside 

Loaders    

Miners,  hand 

Miners,  machine . . . 
Trackman  


$0,592 
.561 
.517 
.507 
.581 
.526 
.636 
.842 
.639 
.315 
.499 
.542 
.518 
.568 
.577 
.558 
.502 
.413 
.695 
.570 
.673 

.444 
.572 
.458 
.560 
.454 
.449 
.532 
.503 
.434 
.448 
.517 
.434 
.485 
.452 
.477 

.410 
.430 
.298 


.634 
.599 
.516 
.835 
.902 
.913 
.628 


.442 
.617 


18 


In  every  occupation  given,  the  bituminous  hourly  earnings  are 
considerably  higher  than  the  anthracite. 


The  basic  day  rates  from  the  agreements  of  the  two  industries  are 
as  follows: 


Occupation. 


Inside : 

Semi-skilled 

Skilled 

Company  miners 

Company  miners'  laborers 

Outside: 

Common  labor 

Semi-skilled 

Skilled 


Anthracite. 


$4.00  to  $4.50 
4.50 
4.75 
4.50 


3.31 
4.25 
4.25 


Bituminous. 
(1919  rates) 


$4.75 
5.00 


4.10 

4.75 
5.10 


In  more  detail,  these  rates  are: 

ANTHRACITE. 


Occupation. 


Districts  1  and  9: 

Company  miner  

Company  miner-laborer 

Inside  laborer  

Outside  laborer 

Carpenter,  first  class 

Carpenter  helper 

Blacksmith,  first  class 

Blacksmith,  helper 

Ashmen • 

Slate  pickers,  first  class,  men. 

Bratticemen  .  . 

Trackmen,  inside 

Trackmen  helpers 


District  7: 
Inside — 

Day  wage  miners  . 
Day  wage  laborers 

Skilled  labor 

Semi-skilled 


Outside- 
Common  labor 
Semi-skilled  .  , 
Skilled 


Percentage. 


4.73 

4.38 

4.236 

3.567 

4.633 

3.727 

4.732 

3.688 

3.611 

2.713 

4M01 

4.737 

4.167 


4.60 
4.25 
4.50 
4.35 


3.31 
4.25 
4.25 


I 


19 


BITUMINOUS   (Pennsylvania,  1919  rates). 


Occupation. 


Percentage. 


Inside : 

Track  layers 

Track  layer  helpers 

Trappers  

Drivers 

Timbermen 

Pipemen 

Wiremen 

Motormen 

Bottom  cagers 

Trip  riders 

Water  and  machine  haulers 
All  other  inside 

Outside : 

Dumpers 

Trimmers 

Ram  operators  

Pushers  .  .  .   

Car  cleaners 


5.00 
4.75 
2.65 
5.00 
5.00 
4.92 
5.00 
5.10 
5.00 
5.00 
5.00 
4.75 


4.42 
4.36 
4.60 
4.18 
4.10 


Summary. 

As  it  is  probable,  judging  the  future  by  the  past,  that  the  average 
days  worked  in  the  anthracite  field  will  be  from  3  per  cent  to  11  per 
cent  lower  than  the  average  number  of  days  worked  in  the  Pennsyl- 
vania bituminous  field,  the  anthracite  worker,  on  this  basis  alone, 
should  receive  a  wage  rate  from  3  per  cent  to  11  per  cent  higher 
than  the  bituminous  wage  rate  for  the  corresponding  occupation 
in  order  that  his  yearly  earnings  may  equal  the  yearly  earnings  in 
the  bituminous  field. 

The  occupations  that  are  the  more  nearly  comparable  in  the  two 
fields  are  those  of  the  day  men,  especially  outside  the  mines.  In 
the  years  from  1903  to  1912  the  yearly  earnings  of  these  men  in 
the  two  fields  was  substantially  the  same,  sometimes  the  one  field 
heing  higher,  sometimes  the  other.  From  1916  on  the  yearly  earn- 
ings of  the  day  men  in  the  bituminous  field  increased  faster  than 
did  those  in  the  anthracite  field. 

In  1918  the  bituminous  rate  was  40  per  cent  or  more  in  excess 
of  the  anthracite  rate.  This  difference  in  rates  was  somewhat  bal- 
anced by  the  fact  that  in  1918  the  anthracite  men  worked  an  abnor- 
mal number  of  days.  The  November,  1918,  anthracite  adjustment 
reduced  the  difference  between  the  two  fields  to  about  15  per  cent 


20 

or  20  per  cent,  but  this  difference  has  been  recently  increased  by  the 
bituminous  award  of  20  per  cent  to  the  day  men  to  a  total  difference 
between  the  two  fields  of  about  40  per  cent  to  50  per  cent.  ■{ 

With  the  bituminous  day  rates  for  the  day  men  between  40  per 
cent  and  50  per  cent  higher  than  the  anthracite  day  rates,  and  with 
the  probability  that  the  days  worked  per  year  will  be  slightly  lower 
in  the  anthracite  field  than  in  the  Pennsylvania  bituminous  field, 
it  is  evident  that  the  present  anthracite  day  rates  should  be  in- 
creased a  substantial  amount  if  the  old  equality  between  the  two 
fields  is  to  be  restored,  and  the  anthracite  day  men  be  allowed 
yearly  earnings  somewhat  similar  in  amount  to  the  yearly  earning 
of  the  bituminous  day  men. 

The  anthracite  miner  during  the  years  1903  to  1912  receive 
yearly  earnings  considerably  in  excess  of  the  yearly  earnings  of  the 
bituminous  miner,  the  average  (unweighted)  excess  during  the  year 
in  question  being  about  30  per  cent.  His  daily  earnings  in  1918 
amounted  to  about  12  per  cent  less  than  the  daily  earnings  of  the 
bituminous  pick  miner  (which  was,  however,  nearly  balanced  by 
the  abnormal  number  of  days  during  that  year  that  the  anthracite 
mines  worked).  The  November,  1918,  anthracite  wage  adjustment 
placed  the  daily  earnings  of  the  miners  in  the  two  fields  about  equal, 
but  the  bituminous  award,  which  amounted  to  about  27  per  cent  to 
the  Pennsylvania  pick  miner,  has  again  placed  the  bituminous  miner 
ahead  by  that  much. 

Thus,  even  assuming  that  the  same  number  of  days  may  be  ex- 
pected per  year  in  the  two  fields,  the  anthracite  miner  should  now 
receive  a  27  per  cent  increase  in  his  rates,  just  to  place  him  even 
with  the  bituminous  miner,  and  above  that,  if  the  former  dififerential 
is  to  be  restored,  he  should  receive  an  additional  increase  of  about 
30  per  cent,  or  a  total  increase  of  65  per  cent  in  all.  This  figure 
checks  very  closely  with  the  60  per  cent  increase  found  necessary  in 
another  exhibit  to  restore  to  the  anthracite  contract  miner  the  pur- 
chasing power  he  formerly  possessed. 


BEFORE  THE  UNITED  STATES  ANTHRACITE 
COAL  COMMISSION 


EMPLOYES  EXHIBIT  NUMBER- 


IRREGULARITY  OF  EMPLOY- 
MENT IN  THE   ANTHRACITE 
INDUSTRY 


Presented  by 
W.    JETT    LAUCK 

On  behalf  of 

John  L.  Lewis,  President 

Philip  Murray.   Vice-President 

F.  P.  Hanaway,  International  Representative 

Percy  Tetlow,  Statistician 

John  Denripsey  )  Committee  Representing 

Thomas   Kennedy  >       rv-  i  •  »     i     7       jo 

r'L  ■      T    /^  ij  I       Districts   \,  /  and  V 

Lhris.  J.  Cjolden  j 

Of  the 

United  Mine  Workers  of  America 


WASHINGTON 
1920 


This  exhibit  was  prepared  under  th^ 

supervision  of 

W,  J£TT  LAUCK 

hf  Leland  Oldff 


BEFORE  THE  UNITED  STATES  ANTHRACITE 
COAL  COMMISSION 


EMPLOYES  EXHIBIT  NUMBER- 


IRREGULARITY  OF  EMPLOY- 
MENT IN  THE  ANTHRACITE 
INDUSTRY 


Pre$ented  by 
W.    JETT    LAUCK 


On  behalf  of 


United  Mine  Workers  of  America 


■ 


WASHINGTON 
1920 


I  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

General  Survey 5 

I.     Number  of  Days  Worked  in  Coal  Industry,  1881  to  1919 . .  7 

II.    Details  of  Days  Worked  for  Period  1881  to  1919 12 

III.     Period  of  Over-Production,  1892  to  1901 15 

IV.     Period  of  Organization  of  the  Market  for  Domestic  Coal, 

1903  to  1908 20 

V.    The  Anthracite  Industry  During  the  Past  Decade 24 

I  VI.     Probable  Irregularity  in  the  Future 36 


IRREGULARITY  OF  EMPLOYMENT  IN  THE 
ANTHRACITE  INDUSTRY 

GENERAL    SURVEY. 

In  the  coal  mining  industry  the  degree  of  regularity  of  operation 
is  today  as  important  a  factor  in  earnings  as  is  the  level  of  hourly 
rates.  As  the  industry  operates  on  part  time  basis,  the  health  of  the 
family  depends  upon  annual  earnings,  which  are  the  product  of  the 
hourly  rate  by  the  number  of  hours  of  actual  employment.  In  deter- 
mining rates  of  pay,  therefore,  it  is  important  to  form  an  estimate 
as  to  the  probable  number  of  days  during  which  the  worker  will  have 
an  opportunity  to  earn  the  rate  set. 

Data  are  available  as  to  the  number  of  days  worked  in  the  anthra- 
cite industry  covering  the  period  since  1881.  During  this  period  the 
variation  has  been  very  great.  This  variation  is  shown  graphically 
on  the  accompanying  table.  The  gi-eatest  number  of  days  worked 
was  293  in  the  abnormal  year  1918,  while  1902,  the  year  of  the  great 
anthracite  strike,  shows  only  116  days  of  operation.  For  more  nor- 
mal years  the  greatest  number  of  days  worked  was  257,  in  1913, 
while  the  lowest  point  came  in  1897,  with  only  150  days  of  operation. 

A  careful  examination  of  the  data  presented  in  this  report  would 
seem  to  point  to  the  following  general  conclusions  in  regard  to  the 
anthracite  coal  industry : 

(1)  The  anthracite  mine  workers  have  suffered  more  from  irregu- 
larity of  employment  than  have  the  bituminous  mine  workers.  Not 
only  is  the  average  number  of  working  days  in  anthracite  lower  than 
in  bituminous  mines,  but  the  extremes  are  greater. 

During  the  period  since  1881  the  anthracite  workers  have  had  an 
opportunity  to  work  on  an  average  only  212  days  out  of  each  year. 
This  means  92  days  of  idleness,  30  per  cent  of  the  working  year, 
during  which  they  have  no  opportunity  to  earn  a  living  wage.  In 
obtaining  this  average  the  abnormally  low  figure  for  1902  due  to 
the  protracted  strike  has  been  left  out,  but  the  abnormally  high 
figures  for  1917  and  1918  have  been  included.  Were  the  figure  for 
1902  included,  the  average  for  anthracite  would  be  even  lower. 

This  average,  212  working  days,  compares  with  229  days  of  opera- 
tion in  the  bituminous  mines  of  Pennsylvania,  and  with  216  in  those 


4B 


of  the  entire  coiiutr}'.  The  bituminous  figures  represent  averages 
for  the  period  since  1892.  If  figures  for  tlie  same  period  for  anthra- 
cite had  been  averaged,  the  days  worked  would  be  found  to  be  210. 
Comparison  with  Pennsylvania  bituminous  is  fairer  because  all  the 
anthracite  fields  of  major  importance  are  in  that  State. 

(2)  Shortage  of  labor  does  not  enter  appreciably  into  this  prob- 
lem of  a  part-time  industry,  the  chief  difiSculty  having  been  over- 
supply  of  labor  as  well  as  of  capital.  The  sufferings  of  the  workers 
from  unemployment  may  be  directly  traced  to  a  bad  policy  of  in- 
vestment during  the  days  of  unregulated  competition.  This  has  not 
only  injured  the  worker,  but  has  also  rendered  high  prices  unavoid- 
able. 

(3)  The  problem  of  car  shortage  as  a  cause  of  irregularity,  so 
much  in  evidence  in  the  bituminous  industry,  has  played  so  small  a 
role  in  the  anthracite  industry  as  to  be  almost  negligible. 

(4)  The  fundamental  cause  of  irregularity  has  been  "no  market." 
In  other  words,  the  equipment  and  labor  force  have  been  more  than 
adequate  to  produce  the  supply  which  the  market  has  been  ready  to 
absorb.  The  anthracite  market  has  become  primarily  that  of  a 
domestic  fuel.  The  determining  factors  in  this  market  are,  therefore, 
weather  and  growth  of  population.  Other  fuels  are  beginning  to 
compete  with  anthracite  in  its  own  domestic  sphere.  In  order  to 
estimate  the  probable  number  of  days  which  will  be  averaged  in 
future  years,  it  will  be  necessary  to  form  a  judgment  as  to  the  prob- 
able future  of  the  market  in  relation  to  possible  production.  From 
this  and  from  data  for  the  last  decade  it  would  appear  that  the 
market  for  anthracite  in  the  future  will  remain  in  a  state  of  equi- 
librium at  about  the  level  for  the  years  1910  to  1916,  inclusive.  In 
other  words,  growth  of  population  seems  to  be  about  balanced 
by  the  increasing  competition  of  other  fuels. 

(5)  This  will  mean  that  the  maximum  average  days  per  year 
which  may  fairly  be  expected  will  be  about  242,  leaving  the  worker 
to  face  unemployment  for  20  per  cent  of  the  working  year.  From 
the  consideration  of  other  factors,  discussed  more  at  length  in  the 
following  pages,  this  would  appear  to  be  a  conservative  estimate, 
the  probability  being  that  there  will  be  more  idle  days  rather  than 
less. 

(6)  It  is  probable  that  had  there  not  been  overinvestment  in  the 
anthracite  industry,  the  problem  could  have  been  met  by  reducing 
the  hours  of  labor  without  adding  to  the  present  price  of  anthracite 
coal. 


I. 

NUMBER  OF  DAYS  WORKED  IN  COAL  INDUSTRY, 
1881  TO  1919. 

The  following  table  afifords  a  comprehensive  survey  of  the  entire 
problem.  It  will  serve  as  a  guide  to  the  subsequent  tables  which 
consider  the  problem  in  greater  detail. 

The  data  for  this  table  are  taken  from  Bulletin  115  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior,  Bureau  of  Mines,  Tables  124  and  126,  supple- 
mented by  material  in  the  annual  report  on  coal  in  the  "Mineral 
Resources  of  the  United  States"  and  in  recent  reports  of  the  United 
States  Geological  Survey. 


DAYS  WORKED  IN  THE  ANTHRACITE  COAL  INDUSTRY,  TOGETHER  WITH 
OTHER   DATA   FOR    COMPARISON. 


1 
Anthracite.             1   I 

Jituminous. 

Year. 

1 

No.  men 

r—Av.  tonnage  per  man-^  1 

Days     r- 

Days  workec 

1^1 

employed.  | 

day. 

j'ear.    I 

worked.  1  Pe 
1 

nna.    U.  S 

. 

1881 

76,031  1 

1.90 

1 
420    1 

1 
221 

1882 

82,200  1 

1.96    1 

427    t 

218 

1 

1883 

91,421  1 

1.81    1 

421 

232    1 

1 

1884 

101,073  1 

1.92    1 

368 

192 

1 

1885 

100,324 

1.87    1 

382 

204 

1886 

103,044 

1.93    1 

379 

196    1 

1887 

106,517  1 

1.90 

395 

208    1 

1 

1888 

122,218  1 

1.75 

381 

218    1 

1889 

123,676  1 

1.90    1 

368 

194    1 

1890 

126,000  i 

1.85    1 

369 

200    1 

232    1 

226 

1891 

126,350 

1.98    1 

401 

203    1 

223    1 

233 

1892 

129,050 

2.06    1 

407 

198    1 

223    1 

219 

1893 

132,944  1 

2.06    1 

406 

197    1 

190    i 

204 

1894 

131,603  1 

2.08    1 

395 

190    1 

165    1 

171 

1895 

142,917  1 

2.07 

406 

196    1 

206    1 

194 

1896 

148,991 

2.10 

365 

174    1 

206    ! 

192 

1897 

149,884 

2.34 

351 

150    1 

205    1 

196 

1898 

1  145,504 

2.41 

367 

152 

229    1 

211 

1899 

138,608 

2.50 

433 

173 

245    1 

234 

1900 

144,206 

2.40 

398 

166    1 

242    1 

234 

1901 

1  145,309  1 

2.37 

464 

196    1 

230    1 

22d 

1902 

1  148,141 

2.41 

279 

1    1161   1 

248    1 

230 

1903 

1  150,483 

2.41 

496 

206    1 

235    ! 

22b 

1904 

1  155,861 

2.31 

469 

1    200    1 

196    1 

202 

1905 

1  163,406 

2.19 

470 

1    215    i 

231    1 

2ii 

1906 

162,355 

2.25 

439 

1    1951   1 

231    1 

213 

1907 

167,234 

2.33 

512 

1    220    I 

255    1 

234 

1908 

1  174,174 

2.39 

478 

1    200    1 

2011   1   1 

193 

19093 

1  

.... 

1    ...    1 

1910 

169,497 

2.17 

498 

1    229    1 

238    t 

2ii 

1911 

173,940 

2.11 

520 

1    246    1 

233    1 

211 

1912 

i  174,030 

2.10 

485 

1    2311   1 

252    1 

233 

1913 

1  175,745 

2.03 

521 

1    257    1 

267    1 

232 

1914 

1  179,679 

2.06 

505 

1    245    1 

2141   1   2 

195 

1915 

1  176,552 

2.19 

504 

!    230    1 

226    ! 

203 

1916 

1  159,869 

2.16 

548 

!    253    1 

259    1 

230 

1917 

1  154,174 

2.27 

646 

1    285    1 

261    ! 

243 

1918 

147,121 

2.28 

672 

1    293    1 

269    1 

249 

1919 



1  252-2622  1 

1         1 

1 

208 

Average  for  e 

I 

Intire  period 

i 



1    212    1 

1         ! 

229    ! 

1 

216 

1  Years  when  there  were  important  stoppages  of  work  pending  adjustment  of 
wages,  etc. 

2  Estimated. 

3  No  data  for  1909. 


m 


10 

A  cursory  glance  at  this  table  might  lead  to  the  conclusion  that 
irregularity  has  been  largely  eliminated.  Beginning  with  the  year 
1900,  a  steady  improvement  is  evident,  which  apparently  culminates 
in  the  year  1918  with  293  days  of  employment.  From  this  it  might 
be  concluded  that  with  the  growth  of  population  the  industry  has 
achieved  what  is  practically  a  full  working  year.  Such  a  judgment 
would  fail  to  take  account  of  the  actual  interplay  of  forces  deter- 
mining the  number  of  days  work.  A  more  thorough  study  covering 
the  30-year  period  ending  with  the  present  year  will  show  clearly 
that  the  climax  of  this  tendency  toward  regularity  was  reached  in 
the  years  1910  to  1910,  when  the  mines  were  operated  only  80  per 
cent  of  the  year,  and  that  the  years  1917  and  1918  were  abnormal. 
Today  a  readjustment  to  the  normal  of  the  years  1910  to  1916  is  in 
process. 

In  general,  a  study  of  this  30-year  period  makes  it  possible  to  see 
the  extent  to  which  a  thoroughly  anti-social  business  policy  has 
plunged  the  anthracite  industry  into  a  vicious  circle,  which  will 
mean  the  perpetuation  of  a  certain  degree  of  irregularity  in  employ- 
ment. 

In  this  table,  and  throughout  the  exhibit,  the  comparison  empha- 
sized is  that  between  the  number  of  days  worked  in  anthracite  and 
the  number  worked  in  the  Pennsylvania  bituminous  mines.  This  is 
done  because  of  the  similarity  in  determining  factors  between  these 
two  fields.  Figures  are  also  shown  for  the  bituminous  industry  for 
the  country  as  a  whole.  But  it  should  be  pointed  out  that,  what- 
ever comparison  with  the  less  comparable  regions  of  the  countr\* 
may  show,  this  will  not  in  any  sense  vitiate  the  conclusions  drawn 
from  the  comparison  which  is  stressed. 

Pennsylvania  bituminous  mines  are  more  comparable  with  the 
anthracite  industry  than  are  the  other  bituminous  regions  of  the 
country  not  only  from  the  human  standpoint,  but  also  from  the 
point  of  view  of  market  conditions,  which  tend  to  determine  relative 
regularity  of  conditions.  -  In  both  branches  of  the  Pennsylvania 
mining  industry  the  element  of  uncertainty  characteristic  of  a  com- 
petitive market  has  been  largely  eliminated. 

From  the  table  above  it  appears  that  there  are  four  periods  which 
seem  subject  to  slightly  different  influences  so  far  as  regularity  of 
employment  in  anthracite  is  concerned.  During  the  years  1881  to 
1891,  inclusive,  the  days  worked  averaged  over  200.  Then  followed 
a  decade  in  which  the  average  fell  off  approximately  30  daj's,  the  low 
point  being  reached  in  1897.  During  the  years  immediately  follow- 
ing the  great  strike  of  1902  the  number  of  days  worked  approximate(? 


II 

llie  average  for  the  80s,  while  the  decade  ending  with  the  present 
shows  a  steady  improvement.  Except  for  the  two  abnormal  yeare 
1917  and  1918,  the  average  for  this  decade  would  appear  to  be 
about  243  days  of  operation  to  the  year,  which  may  probably  be 
taken  as  a  fair  index  of  the  present  problem  in  the  anthracite  indus- 
try. This  means  some  61  days  of  idleness,  or  20  per  cent  of  the 
working  year,  in  which  the  anthracite  worker,  through  no  fault  of 
liis  own,  is  unable  to  earn  a  living. 

But  the  chief  interest  is  in  the  future.  Analysis  of  the  past  is 
(>nly  to  give  some  basis  for  estimating  the  future.  In  order  to  gauge 
whether  this  average  is  likely  to  persist,  or  whether  the  decline 
wliich  followed  the  abnormal  years  of  war  demand  is  likely  to  go 
on  until  the  industry  has  returned  to  earlier  conditions  of  greater 
irregularity,  it  will  be  necessary  to  consider  previous  periods  more 
closely. 


12 


II. 


DETAILS   OF   DAYS   WORKED   FOR   PERIOD   1881   TO   1891. 

The  following  table  is  drawn  to  show  the  factors  influencing  day:? 
worked  for  the  period  1881  to  1891.     (Sources  as  mentioned  above.) 


DETAILS  OF  DAYS  WORKED  FOR  PERIOD  1881  TO  1891. 


Anthracite. 

Year. 

No.  men 

r— Av.  tonnage  per  man — \ 

Days 

Bituminous. 

employed. 

day.     year. 

worked. 

1881 

76,031 

1.90 

420 

221 

1882 

82,200 

1.96 

427 

218 

1883 

91,421 

1.81 

421 

232 

1884 

101,073 

1.92 

368 

192 

1885 

100,324 

1.87 

382 

204 

1886 

103,044 

1.93 

379 

196 

(No  data  prior 

1887 

106.517 

1.90 

395 

208 

to  1890) 

1888 

122,218 

1.75 

381 

218 

1889 

123,676 

1.90 

368 

194 

1890 

126,000 

1.85 

369 

200 

1891 

126,350 

1.98 

401 

203 

Average 

208 

The  outstanding  feature  of  this  table  is  the  rapid  increase  in  the 
number  of  men  employed  in  the  anthracite  industry.  In  the  course 
of  10  years  approximately  66  per  cent  were  added  to  the  number 
employed  in  1881.  Between  1882  and  1883  the  number  increase<^l 
by  nearly  10,000.  A  similar  increase  was  registered  in  the  following 
year,  while  between  1887  and  1888  over  15,000  men  were  added  to 
the  army  of  anthracite  workers.  Meanwhile,  with  slight  variations, 
the  production  per  man  per  day  remains  almost  constant.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  anthracite  production  of  the  country  increased,  but 
not  as  rapidly  as  the  working  force.  The  consequence  was  a  steady 
decrease  in  the  number  of  days  worked. 

These  facts  indicate  that  the  anthracite  industry  was  passing 
through  the  speculative  period.  The  rapid  growth  of  population 
and  the  cheapening  of  transportation  caused  a  rapid  development 
of  the  trade.  The  development  of  the  West  accentuated  this  increase 
in  demand.  Anthracite  was  looked  upon  as  a  good  thing  in  the  way 
of  investment.    The  consequence  was  rapid  expansion,  the  construe- 


13 

tion  of  new  collieries  and  the  building  of  storage  yards.  This  caused 
the  increase  in  the  number  of  anthracite  workers.  But,  as  is  gener- 
ally the  case,  this  period  of  competitive  speculation  caused  produc- 
tion to  increase  beyond  what  the  market  could  absorb.  Conse- 
quently the  steady  increase  in  the  number  of  days  of  non-operation, 
which  was  to  reach  a  climax  in  the  90s,  had  begun.  Attempts  to 
control  production  in  order  to  keep  the  price  up  proved  futile.  The 
industry  was  not  yet  ready  for  large  combination.  E.  W.  Parker,  in 
"Mineral  Resources  of  the  United  States,"  1889-90,  comments  upon 
the  situation  as  follows : 

"The  average  number  of  days  worked  during  the  year  1889 
by  the  collieries  was  194.  The  suspension  of  mining  during 
perioas  aggregating  about  one-third  of  the  year  was  caused 
mainly  by  the  inability  of  the  market  to  absorb  a  larger 
product."     (P.  243.) 

Thus,  early  in  the  history  of  the  trade,  "no  market"  was  the  chief 
cause  of  irregularity  of  employment.  But  it  must  be  remembered 
that  this  was  not  due  to  irregularity  in  the  market,  but  to  over- 
investment in  the  industry.  This  fact  of  overinvestment  has  been  a 
continuing  influence  since  that  time,  and  has  been  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal causes  of  the  low  yearly  earnings  of  the  anthracite  workers. 

During  this  period  1881-1891,  anthracite  had  not  been  completely 
ruled  out  as  industrial  fuel.  Consequently,  investors  counted  upon 
the  expansion  of  the  market  paralleling  the  expansion  of  industry. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  has  been  the  case  with  the  bituminous 
market.  Anthracite,  on  the  other  hand,  soon  became  almost  entirely 
a  domestic  fuel,  its  place  in  industry  being  taken  by  bituminous 
coal  and  coke.  As  a  result,  the  expansion  of  the  anthracite  market 
has  tended  more  and  more  to  parallel  the  development  of  population. 


DIAGRAM  SHOWING  THE  TENDENCY  OF  ANTHRACITE  COAL  PRODUCTION  TO 
PARALLEL  GROWTH  OP  POPULATION  DURING  YEARS  1856-1913,  CON- 
TRASTED WITH  INCREASE  IN  PRODUCTION  OF  BITUMINOUS  COAL  AS 
INDUSTRIAL  FUEL. 

(From  Mineral  Resources  of  the  U.  S.,  1913,  Part  II,  p.  722.) 


YEAft 

18M 


1867 
1868 


15 


III. 


PERIOD  OF  OVERPRODUCTION,   1892  to  1901. 

The  full  effects  of  the  tendency  mentioned  in  the  preceding  sec- 
tion were  not  apparent  until  the  last  decade  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. Then  the  results  of  unchecked  competition  for  expected  profits 
appeared  in  unemployment  and  high  costs,  which  rendered  the  situ- 
ation even  worse.  The  industry  was  operating  in  a  vicious  circle. 
Too  much  capital  invested  meant  that  the  production  had  to 
carry  so  heavy  an  overhead  that  it  could  not  compete  for  a  market 
which  bituminous  was  grabbing.  Too  many  workers  meant  that  the 
days  of  operation  would  have  to  be  drastically  curtailed.  To  meet 
this  decrease  in  the  opportunity  to  earn  a  living,  the  workers  drove 
themselves  to  the  limit  to  produce  more  per  day,  which  only  oper- 
ated further  to  decrease  the  number  of  days  worked.  It  was  a  situa- 
tion which  made  the  strike  of  1902  inevitable.  The  development  of 
the  anthracite  industry  had  been  very  badly  managed.  Not  alone 
phjsical,  but  human  resources  were  wasted.  The  following  table 
tells  the  story,  the  sources  being  as  mentioned  above : 


Anthracite. 

Bituminous. 

Year. 

No.  men 

I 
r-A.y.  tonnage  per  man— n  | 

Days 

/—Days  wo^ked-^ 

employed. 

day.     year.    | 

worked. 

Penna.   U.  S. 

1892 

129,050 

2.06       407    1 

198 

223 

219 

1893 

132,944 

2.06       406    1 

197 

190 

204 

1894 

131,603 

2.08       395 

190 

165 

171 

1895 

142,917 

2.07       406 

196 

206 

194 

1896 

148,991 

2.10       365    1 

174 

206 

192 

1897 

149,884 

2.34    1    351 

150 

205 

196 

1S9S 

145,504 

2.41    1    367 

152 

229 

211 

1899 

138,608 

2.50    1    433 

173 

245 

234 

1900 

144,206 

2.40       398 

166 

242 

234 

1901 

145,309 

2.37       464 

196 

230 

225 

Average 

1 

179 

214 

208 

1 

The  outstanding  fact  in  the  above  table  is  that  the  anthracite 
mine  workers,  through  no  fault  of  their  owti,  were  forced  to  be  idle 
an  average  of  125  working  days  per  year  during  the  whole  decade. 
Second  only  in  importance  to  this  is  the  fact  that,  despite  overpro- 
duction, the  number  of  workers  in  the  industry  continued  to  in- 


16 

crease.  Investment  in  the  industry  had  been  so  unregulated  that  the 
working  year  amounted  to  a  period  of  cut-throat  competition  for 
the  "'peak  load."  To  meet  this  and  secure  a  share  of  the  market 
which  would  carry  the  large  investment,  the  companies  kept  an  over- 
supply  of  labor,  apportioning  the  work  out  among  the  workers. 

Overproduction  meant  competition  and  falling  prices.  To  a  large 
extent,  the  burden  fell  upon  the  worker.  The  market  was  demoral- 
ized. The  situation  is  particularly  evident  in  the  figures  for  the 
years  1895-189S.  An  increase  of  over  10,000  in  the  number  of  work- 
ers in  the  industry,  combined  with  the  working  of  a  few  more  days 
in  the  year,  brought  about  such  a  state  of  oversupply  that  the 
market  did  not  recover  for  a  number  of  years.  The  number  of  days 
worked  drops  first  to  174,  then  to  150  and  152.  Xot  until  1898  had 
the  number  of  workers  begun  to  decline.  And  by  that  time  the 
operators  were  taking  steps  to  effect  a  combination  with  a  view  to 
restraining  production.  Speaking  of  this  period,  in  "Mineral  Re- 
sources of  the  United  States,"  1897,  E.  W.  Parker  says : 

"In  order  to  accomplish  this  result  the  mines  were  operated 
only  three  or  four  days  in  the  week,  but  even  with  this  restric- 
tion the  supply  of  coal  was  lessened  only  about  six  per  cent. 
It  appears  singular  that  with  the  working  time  cut  down  one- 
fourth  or  one-third  the  product  is  decreased  only  one-twelfth. 
The  explanation  is  simple.  During  the  busy  season,  when  the 
mines  are  running  full  time,  the  miners  rarely  average  as  much 
as  five  days  in  the  week,  usually  'laying  off'  one  or  two  week- 
days as  well  as  Sunday.  When  the  mines  are  running  but  half 
or  two-thirds  time  every  miner  puts  in  all  the  time  he  can,  and 
probably  averages  more  tonnage  per  day  than  when  he  has  all 
the  work  he  wants."     (Page  13.) 

Later,  in  the  same  report,  we  find  the  following  comment  upon  the 
oversupply  of  labor: 

"It  may  be  opportune  to  mention  at  this  time  the  difficulty 
presented  by  the  labor  question  in  the  anthracite  regions,  viz., 
the  overplus  of  miners  and  laborers.  Thus,  in  tables  in  the 
beginning  of  this  report  it  will  be  noted  that  although  the 
product  fell  off  over  3,000,000  tons  in  1896  as  compared  with 
1895,  the  total  number  of  employees  increased  6,000.  It  will  be 
seen  at  once  that  these  men  must  have  worked  shorter  time. 
This  was  the  fact,  and  although  wages,  measured  by  day's  work, 
were  higher  in  1896,  it  is  questionable  whether  the  miners  indi- 
vidually benefited  to  any  great  extent.  It  is  evident,  of  course, 
that  there  are  too  many  men  for  the  amount  of  work  to  be  done, 
but  a  remedy  for  the  difficult}'  does  not  easily  present  itself. 


17 

While  there  is  any  likelihood  of  work  the  miners  will  not  leave 
the  vicinity  of  the  mines,  and  tlie  companies  try  so  to  apportion 
the  work  as  to  give  all  a  chance,  with  the  result  that  there  is 
not  enough  work  for  any. 

"With  a  very  much  larger  output  this  trouble  would  no  doubt 
adjust  itself;  but  that  condition  is  not  in  sight  in  the  near 
future.  In  the  meantime  it  is  a  question  whether  it  would  not 
be  better  for  the  companies  to  give  their  old  employees  meas- 
urably steady  employment  and  drop  from  the  rolls  all  such 
as  could  not  be  thus  provided  for,  allo\\dug  them  to  seek  work 
elsewhere.     (Pages  249-50.) 

This  solution  would  not  have  fitted  in  with  the  policy  of  com- 
panies which  were,  as  pointed  out,  fighting  for  as  large  a  share  of 
the  "peak  load"  as  they  could  handle.  For  this  it  was  necessary  to 
have  on  hand  an  abundance  of  cheap  labor.  In  terms  of  such  a  mar- 
ket situation,  it  was  to  the  interest  of  the  competing  companies  to 
encourage  workers  to  stay  on  part-time  work.  From  the  above  it 
appeal's  that  this  policy  was  definitely  pursued. 

Other  factors  were  entering  into  the  situation.  It  was  during  this 
period  that  anthracite  became  entirely  a  domestic  coal,  its  market 
responsive  chiefly  to  changes  in  the  weather,  and  to  growth  of  popu- 
lation. And  it  is  at  this  point  that  one  comes  face  to  face  with  the 
effect  of  over-investment.  To  quote  E.  W.  Parker  in  "Mineral  Re- 
sources of  the  United  States"  for  1897. 

"Mr.  Wm.  B.  Ruley,  in  his  contribution  on  the  production  of 
Pennsylvania  anthracite,  cites  two  reasons  which  have  been 
assigned  for  the  decrease  in  anthracite  consumption.  The  first 
of  these  is  the  increased  use  of  bituminous  coal  in  competition 
with  the  smaller  sizes  of  anthracite  for  steam  raising;  the 
second  is  the  increased  consumption  of  gas  for  cooking  and 
other  domestic  purposes.  To  this  must  be  added  another 
factor — the  decreased  production  of  anthracite  pig  iron.  The 
output  of  anthracite  pig  iron  in  1897  was  more  than  200,000 
long  tons  less  than  in  1896,  while  the  production  of  pig  iron 
made  from  bituminous  coal  and  coke  increased  nearly  1,300,000 
long  tons.     *     *     ♦ 

"The  three  causes  mentioned  have  undoubtedly  had  an  ad- 
verse effect  upon  the  anthracite  interests.  Nor  is  it  practicable 
in  the  face  of  existing  conditions  to  so  reduce  the  selling  price 
of  anthracite  coal  that  it  may  successfully  meet  the  competition 
of  bituminous  coal,  coke  and  gas.  The  success  of  these  com- 
petitors of  anthracite  coal  may  be  directly  attributed  to  the 
unwisdom  shown  in  over-developing  the  anthracite  fields. 
Enormous  outlays  of  capital  in  acquiring  property  and  con- 
structing improvements  in  the  boom  days  of  anthracite  de- 
velopment are  reflected  now  in  'fixed  charges'  and  other  ex- 


18 

penses  which  make  it  impossible  to  materially  decrease  the  cost 
of  production.  The  facts  brought  out  by  the  unfortunate  af- 
fair at  Hazleton  during  the  summer  of  1897  furnish  reliable 
evidence  that  the  miners  are  not  overpaid.  The  rate  per  ton 
paid  for  mining  is  low  enough  now,  and  as  the  mines  are  fre- 
quently closed  down  one-third  or  one-half  the  time  the  em- 
ployees are  necssarily  unable  to  earn  more  than  two-thirds  of 
the  wages  possible  if  they  Avere  allowed  to  work  full  time.  As 
will  be  seen  further  on,  the  miners  endeavor  to  make  up  for 
this,  in  part,  by  mining  more  coal  per  day  than  they  are  ac- 
customed to  when  the  mines  are  running  regularly.  But  such 
efforts  do  not  offset  the  losses  they  suffer  through  compulsory 
idleness." 

This  last  paragraph  merely  shows  the  vicious  circle  into  which  the 
eagerness  for  profits  had  plunged  the  anthracite  industry.  In  the 
next  paragraph  Mr.  Parker  completes  the  picture : 

"It  would  seem  that  with  a  restricted  production  and  prices 
well  controlled  the  anthracite  interests  would  be  in  excellent 
condition,  so  far  as  the  operators  are  concerned ;  but  restricted 
production  and  higher  prices  have  reflex  actions  upon  industry 
which  are  not  always  considered.  In  the  first  place,  when 
tonnage  is  reduced  the  mining  cost  of  every  ton  of  the  product 
won,  owing  to  the  regularity  and  uniformity  of  the  'fixed 
charges,'  etc.,  is  proportionately  increased,  while  every  addi- 
tional advance  in  the  price  produces  a  diminution  in  the 
market  demand,  and  offers  an  opportunity  for  the  increased 
consumption  of  soft  coal,  coke  or  gas,  as  the  case  may  be. 
Under  the  prevailing  conditions  there  is  reason  to  believe  that 
the  maximum  of  anthracite  production  has  been,  or  soon  will 
be,  reached.  It  is  certainly  safe  to  predict  that  the  demand 
will  never  exceed  the  present  capacity  of  the  anthracite  mines." 

In  other  words,  the  problem  of  regularity,  or  irregularity,  of  em- 
ployment in  the  anthracite  industry  is  primarily  a  question  of  a 
balance  between  the  development  of  the  field  and  the  market.  And 
already  outside  conditions  were  coming  into  being  which  fore- 
shadowed the  day  when  the  anthracite  industry  would  have  reached 
a  state  of  equilibrium.  If  the  market  had  ceased  to  advance  with 
the  workers  in  the  hopeless  state  prevalent  in  the  last  years  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  the  anthracite  region  would  indeed  have  been 
a  blot  upon  the  industrial  page  of  the  nation.  The  situation,  created 
by  bad  management,  was  the  primary  basis  for  the  series  of  strikes 
which  followed  in  1900,  1902  and  1906. 

The  fact  has  been  pointed  out  that  anthracite  was  becoming  pri- 
marily a  domestic  coal.     Already  there  was  beginning  to  be  compe- 


19 

tition  in  this  field  as  well  not  only  from  gas  as  a  cooking  fuel,  but 
also  from  the  fact  that  the  great  office  buildings  and  apartment- 
houses  had  begun  to  grow.  In  these  bituminous  steam  coal  was  used 
for  heating  in  place  of  anthracite. 

A  glance  at  the  reports  of  the  Pennsylvania  Bureau  of  Mines 
shows  the  same  feeling  that  the  development  of  the  anthracite  mines 
had  outdistanced  the  market.    The  report  for  1898  reads  as  follows  : 

''The  market  for  anthracite  coal  has  apparently  reached  its 
limit.  It  is  true  there  is  an  increase  in  1898  of  197,821  tons 
over  1897;  but  that  is  in  all  probability  due  to  the  extraor- 
dinarily severe  weather  that  prevailed.  It  appears  from  the 
number  of  days  that  the  mines  were  in  operation  during  the 
year  that  the  mines  now  opened  and  number  of  men  employed, 
are  capable  of  producing  very  much  more  coal,  which  shows 
that  there  are  more  mines  opened  and  more  men  employed  than 
are  necessary  to  supply  the  demand."     *     *     * 

The  feeling  among  experts  at  this  time  seems  to  have  been  that, 
with  the  limited  district  in  which  anthracite  is  found,  the  production 
per  day  would  remain  at  slightly  over  300,000  tons,  and  that  the 
question  of  the  number  of  days  worked  would  be  determined  largely 
by  the  number  of  these  300,000-ton  units  required  by  the  market. 
All  along  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  m^irJcet  is  the  determinant. 


20 
IV. 

PERIOD  OF  ou(ja:->jzatiox  of  the  market  for 

DOMESTIC  COAL,   1903  TO  1908. 

With  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century  the  period  of  irre- 
sponsible competition  was  over.  Both  labor  and  capital  in  the  indus- 
try were  organizing,  which  meant  regulation  in  the  future.  The  first 
important  step  was  taken  by  the  companies  when  they  announced 
the  summer  discount  policy.  This  tended  to  regularize  the  market- 
that  is,  to  spread  its  demands  evenly  over  the  full  year. 

Speaking  of  this  summer  discount  policy,  the  Pennsylvania  De- 
partment of  Mines  Report  for  1904  saidr 

"The  demand  for  domestic  sizes  continued  remarkably  even 
throughout  the  year  owing  to  the  operation  of  the  discount 
plan.  By  this  plan  a  discount  of  50  cents  a  ton  from  the  sched- 
ule price  is  offered  on  purchases  made  in  April,  with  a  gradual 
decrease  of  10  cents  a  month  in  the  discount  during  May,  June, 
July  and  August.  This  method  insures  a  more  even  distribu- 
tion of  coal  throughout  the  year.  The  retail  dealers  and  house- 
holders have  a  special  inducement  to  make  early  purchases, 
which  are  stored  for  \^^nter  use,  thus  maintaining  the  tonnage 
during  a  period  generally  characterized  by  inactivity  and  reduc- 
in  proportionately  the  danger  of  congestion  in  shipping  later 
in  the  season."     *     ♦     ♦ 

Speaking  of  the  contrast  between  the  periods  before  and  after  this 
step  was  taken,  E.  W.  Parker,  in  the  1913  "Mineral  Resources  of  the 
United  States,"  says: 

"It  will  be  observed  that  in  the  anthracite  mines  during  the 
last  decade  of  the  19th  century  there  was  a  notably  decreasing 
tendency  in  the  number  of  days  the  workers  in  the  anthracite 
mines  were  able  to  work,  until  in  1897  and  1898  they  barely 
averaged  50  per  cent  of  the  possible  working  days  in  the  year, 
excluding  Sundays  and  legal  holidays.  These  figures  substan- 
tiate the  claim  made  about  that  time  that  the  anthracite  min- 
ers were  unable  to  earn  a  total  living  wage.  The  consumption 
of  the  prepared  sizes  of  anthracite  being  almost  exclusively  for 
domestic  purposes,  the  production  was  at  a  'peak  load'  during 
the  fall  and  winter  months,  with  long  periods  of  idleness  dur- 
ing the  summer.  In  order  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  'peak 
loads'  it  was  necessary  to  keep  on  the  rolls  a  much  larger  num- 
ber of  men  than  if  steady  employment  could  be  given  the  year 
round.  *  *  *  Beginning  with  1903,  however,  a  marked  im- 
provement is  shown  in  the  working  time  made  by  the  anthracite 


21 


miners.  From  1892  to  1902,  iuclusive,  the  anthracite  mine 
workers  did  not  average  as  much  as  200  days  in  any  one  year, 
and  the  general  average  for  the  i)eriod  was  173  da^^s.  Since 
1903,  on  the  otlier  hand,  the  anthracite  miners  have  averaged 
less  than  200  days  in  only  one  year,  1906,  when  there  was  an 
extended  suspension  pending  the  renewal  of  the  anthracite 
strike  commission's  awards,  and  the  general  average  of  the 
period  has  been  220  days,  47  days  or  27  per  cent  more  than 
tlie  general  average  for  the  earlier  period."     »     »     » 

The  following  table  gives  the  data  for  this  period  of  readjustment : 


Anthracite. 

Bituminous. 

Year. 

No.  men 

r-Av.  tomiage  per  man— ^ 

Days 

/—Days  worked-^ 

employed. 

day.           year. 

worked. 

Penna.        U.  S. 

1903 

150,483 

2.41 

496 

206 

235 

225 

1904 

155,861 

2.35 

469 

200 

196 

202 

1905 

163,406 

2.19 

470 

215 

231 

211 

1906 

162,355 

2.25 

439 

195 

231 

213 

1907 

167,234 

2.33 

512 

220 

255 

234 

1908 

174,174 

2.39 

478 

200 

201 

193 

Average . . . 

206 

225 

213 

During  this  period,  although  the  average  for  such  years  as  1902, 
1906  and  1909  is  considerably  influenced  by  the  serious  stoppages 
of  work  which  occurred  pending  the  adjustment  of  disputes  between 
the  mine  workers  and  the  operators,  the  general  average  for  the 
period,  206  days,  is  primarily  an  index  of  market  conditions.  This 
is  the  result  of  the  fact  that  adjustment  every  three  years  had  be- 
come the  regular  thing,  for  which  preparation  was  made  in  the  pre- 
ceding year.  The  succeeding  year  was  also,  to  a  large  degree,  in- 
fluenced by  compensatoiT  production.  Thus  we  notice  in  the  table 
that  the  year  of  stoppage,  1900,  is  preceded  and  followed  by  years 
during  which  the  number  of  days  operated  was  relatively  high.  In 
this  connection  we  find  the  following  comment  upon  the  year  1903 
in  the  report  of  the  Pennsylvania  Department  of  Mines : 


"The  long  and  disastrous  strike  of  1902  had  depleted  the 
supply  of  coal  to  such  an  extent  that  it  required  full  and  con- 
tinuous work  at  the  mines  for  the  first  10  months  of  1903  to 
restore  the  normal  conditions  of  the  trade  in  this  country  and 
in  Canada.    During  November  and  December,  however,  the  pro- 


22 

duction  was  greatly  curtailed,  owing  to  a  cessation,  in  the  de- 
mand, and  most  of  the  operations  closed  down  completely  on 
the  24th  of  the  latter  month."     *     *     * 

So  again,  in  the  publication  of  the  United  States  Geological  Sur- 
vey, "Mineral  Resources  of  the  United  States,"  a  hint  is  given  to  the 
same  effect.  Speaking  of  the  high  average  days  worked  in  1905,  Mr. 
Parker  writes: 

''This  average  for  the  anthracite  mine  workers  was  the  high- 
est recorded  in  the  16  years  that  the  statistics  have  been  ob- 
tained, and  was  probably  due  to  the  efforts  put  forth  by  the 
operating  companies  to  lay  in  a  large  supply  of  coal  in  anticipa- 
tion of  a  strike  when  the  award  of  the  anthracite  coal  commis- 
sion expired  in  the  spring  of  1906." 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  extraordinarily  low  averages  of  the  '90s 
no  longer  prevailed.  The  relation  between  the  market  and  the  sup- 
ply existing  in  the  '80s  had  to  all  intents  and  purposes  been  re- 
established. Experts  considered  that  the  market  was  about  equal 
to  the  supply,  and,  as  the  increase  in  number  of  workers  in  the  in- 
dustry tended  to  parallel  the  slow  increase  of  the  market,  it  would 
seem  as  though  206  odd  days  were  considered  as  constituting  a  fair 
year's  work  in  the  anthracite  fields. 

During  this  period  experts  remark  increasingly  on  the  probability 
that  the  anthracite  industry  has  reached  its  high-water  mark.  This 
opinion  is  based  chiefly  upon  the  increasing  cost  of  production,  which 
tends  to  handicap  anthracite  in  competition  with  other  fuels.  In  any 
final  judgment  as  to  the  probable  employment  in  the  industry  in 
the  future  this  factor  must  be  considered.  It  is  remarked  that  a 
portion  of  this  increased  cost  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  workers 
themselves  are  producing  a  smaller  quantity  per  day.  But  the  men 
giving  this  opinion  are  not  always  careful  enough  to  state  that  this 
decrease  in  the  productivity  may  largely  be  accounted  for  by  the 
increasing  difficulty  of  mining  as  the  seams  are  worked  farther  and 
farther,  often  becoming  thinner  as  the  mines  go  deeper. 

Days   Worked    in   Pennsylvania   Anthracite    Mines    Compared 
WITH  Other  Mining  Countries. 

In  the  1906  report  of  the  Pennsylvania  Department  of  Mines  there 
is  a  small  table  showing  for  the  period  now  being  considered  the 
comparative  time  worked  in  certain  coal-producing  countries  as  com- 


23 


pared  with.  Pennsjlvania  anthracite.  The  table  is  here  reproduced, 
in  order  to  show  to  what  extent  the  American  anthracite  miner  is 
suffering  from  irregularity  of  emploj^ment  more  than  his  fellows  in 
other  countries.  With  the  average  days  worked  in  the  other  coun- 
tries standing  at  282,  it  must  be  obvious  that  the  mines  in  those 
countries  have  not  been  subject  to  the  unregulated  exploitation  from 
which  the  miners  in  the  United  States  have  been  the  chief  sufferers. 

DA\S  WORKED  IN  VARIOUS  COUNTRIES. 


Pennsylvania  anthracite  (1903) 211 


Great  Britain  bituminous    (1903) , 

Germany,  bituminous  (1903) 

France,  bituminous    (1900) 

Belgium,  bituminous  (1902) 

Austria,  bituminous  (1903) 


Average  for  foreign  countries. 


264 
274 
296 
289 
289 


282 


24 

V. 

THE  ANTHRACITE    IInDUSTKY   DUKJNG   THE   PAST 

DECADE. 

From  the  preceding  pages  it  is  evident  that  the  problem  of  regu- 
larity in  the  anthracite  industry  is  primarily  a  problem  of  the 
ability  of  the  market  to  absorb  the  full  production  of  the  labor 
emjiloyed.  It  appears  that  this  market  is  chiefly  responsive  to 
weather  conditions  and  to  the  growth  of  population.  From  the  time 
when  the  summer  discount  was  introduced  the  steady  growth  of 
population  has  tended  to  improve  the  very  bad  conditions  which  re- 
sulted from  the  speculative  overinvestment  in  the  industiy.  But 
other  factors  were  coming  into  plaj'  which  tended  more  and  more  to 
render  it  doubtful  whether  the  industry  would  ever  reach  full-time 
operation.  \>ith  these  facts  in  mind,  it  would  appear,  from  an 
examination  of  data  for  the  decade  ending  with  the  present  time, 
that  the  average  for  the  years  1910  to  1916,  inclusive,  will  be  found 
to  represent  approximately  the  best  average  days  worked  that  can 
be  expected  from  the  industry.  In  other  words,  it  represents  a  real 
balance  between  the  demands  of  the  market  and  the  possible  pro- 
duction of  the  limited  mining  area,  which  will  not  be  exceeded,  and 
which  may  tend  toward  a  slow  decline,  for  reasons  which  will  be 
noted.  The  average  for  these  years  is  242  days  of  operation,  which 
corresponds  almost  exactly  with  the  days  worked  in  the  Pennsyl- 
vania bituminous  mines  for  the  same  years.  The  correspondence 
is  even  closer  than  the  rough  average  shows,  the  exact  figures  being 
for  the  anthracite  mines,  241.57,  and  for  the  bituminous  mines, 
241.29.  In  other  words,  taking  the  full  number  of  days  worked  for 
the  seven  years,  it  will  be  found  that  the  totals  dififer  by  only  two 
days,  being  1691  and  1689,  respectively.  This  would  certainly  seem 
to  indicate  relative  stabilization  of  the  situation  in  Pennsylvania  at 
approximately  242  working  days,  which  means  a  loss  to  the  workers 
of  some  63  possible  working  days  each  year,  or  something  over  20 
per  cent  of  the  year.  The  exact  figures  appear  in  the  following 
table  • 


25 


Anthracite. 

Bituminous. 

Year. 

No.  men  r-A\.  tonnage  per  man— ^   Days 
employed.     day.     year.      worked. 

r — Days  worked— \ 
Penna.   U.  S. 

1910 

1911 

1912 

1913 

1914 

1915 

1916 

Average 

169,497      2.17 
173,940     2.11 
174,030      2.10 
175,745      2.03 
179,679      2.06 
176,552      2.19 
159,869      2.16 

498       229 

520  246 
485       231 

521  1    257 
505    1    245 
504    1    230 
548    1    253 

242 

238 
233 
2.52 
267 
214 
226 
259 

241 

217 
211 
233 
232 
195 
203 
230 

219 

1 

^Vith  the  beginning  of  this  period  the  production  of  anthracite 
had  reached  a  level  at  which  it  appeared  likely  to  remain.  In  other 
words,  despite  the  growth  of  population,  it  appeared  that  other  con- 
ditions, such  as  the  movement  to  steam-heated  apartment-houses, 
etc.,  were  likely  to  prove  a  counter  influence.  In  "Mineral  Resources 
of  the  United  States"  for  1913,  it  is  remarked  : 


"The  increase  in  11<e  use  of  artificial  gas  and  coke  for  domestic 
purposes  will  probably  keep  pace  with  the  increase  of  popula- 
tion in  the  markets  supplied  by  anthracite,  and  there  is  little 
probability  that  the  production  of  anthracite  will  show  any 
marked  increase  in  the  future.  Changes  in  temperature  and 
labor  conditions  will  continue  to  be  the  most  important  factors 
affecting  the  production  of  anthracite." 


Anthracite  had  almost  ceased  to  respond  to  ordinary  business 
changes,  in  which  characteristic  it  differed  radically  from  bitumi- 
nous coal.  And  the  belief  that  the  maximum  regular  production  of 
anthracite  had  been  reached  seems  to  be  borne  out  by  the  fact  that 
the  estimated  production  for  1919  is  very  slightly  in  excess  of  that 
for  1910,  and  distinctly  less  than  that  for  1911.  In  short,  the  pro- 
duction of  anthracite  may  be  expected  to  average  under  90,000,000 
tons  per  year.  In  the  year  of  abnormal  demand,  1917,  which  will 
be  mentioned  later,  although  the  production  reached  nearly  100,000,- 
000  tons,  less  than  94,000,000  tons  of  this  was  actually  consumed. 
Thus,  in  an  attempt  to  estimate  the  regularity  of  employment,  the 
number  of  days  required  to  produce  86,000,000-odd  tons  with  the 
labor  in  the  industry  should  probably  be  taken  as  maximum. 

Before  turning  to  consider  the  abnormal  years  1917-1918,  a  few 


26 

facts  which  appear  in  the  above  table  should  be  noted.  In  the  first 
place,  it  is  again  to  be  noticed  that  the  fewer  days  worked  in  the  year 
of  adjustment,  1912,  are  compensated  by  the  higher  averages  for 
the  years  preceding  and  following.  In  the  second  place,  it  appears 
that  the  increase  in  number  of  days  worked  during  this  period  as 
contrasted  with  the  previous  period  may  be  in  part  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  mine  worker  is  producing  considerably  less  per  day.  In 
fact,  the  two  changes  seem  to  be  very  closely  parallel  to  each  other. 
And,  finally,  it  may  be  noticed  that  the  number  of  workers  in  the 
industry,  having  reached  a  maximum  in  1914,  has  begun  a  very 
decided  decline,  there  being  approximately  20,000  less  workers  in 
1916  than  in  1914.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  decline  continued  until 
in  1918  there  were  only  approximately  147,000  working  in  the  an- 
thracite mines,  a  figure  below  any  since  1902. 

This  last  tendency  is  important  from  two  points  of  view.  In  the 
first  place,  the  increased  number  of  days  worked  during  the  last 
four  years  corresponds  to  a  shortage  of  labor  from  the  point  of  view 
of  the  companies.  This  means  that  if  that  shortage  of  labor  is  made 
up,  fewer  days  will  again  prevail.  In  the  second  place,  it  means 
that  irregular,  low-paid  work  in  the  anthracite  industry  proved 
unattractive  when  contrasted  with  the  opportunities  in  the  expand- 
ing munitions  industry  of  the  years  mentioned.  The  decrease  in  the 
number  of  anthracite  workers  represents  a  drift  to  the  manufactur- 
ing industries. 


The  Eight-Hour  Day  and  the  Kegularity  op  Employment. 

In  order  to  forestall  the  possible  contention  that  the  eight-hour 
day,  in  effect  since  1916,  can  be  held  responsible  for  the  increased 
number  of  working  days  in  1917  and  1918,  the  tables  presented  in 
this  exhibit  include  figures  as  to  the  tonnage  produced  per  man  per 
day.  The  contention  has  already  been  advanced  to  the  eftect  that 
the  number  of  days  of  work  in  the  years  1910  to  1916  would  have 
been  considerably  increased  had  an  equivalent  eight-hour  day  been 
substituted  for  the  nine-hour  day  actually  worked.  The  actual  fig- 
ures disprove  any  such  assertion.  Every  competent  industrial  engi- 
neer is  cognizant  of  the  fact  that  a  reduction  in  hours  per  day  may 
actually  tend  to  increase  rather  than  to  decrease  the  productivity 
of  the  worker.  The  important  question  in  an  industry  where  the 
number  of  days  worked  is  determined  by  the  demands  of  the  market 


27 

is  in  reality  the  number  of  tons  that  would  be  required  from  each 
man  employed.  As  the  miners  are  paid  on  a  tonnage  basis,  this  will 
be  the  figure  which  will  determine  whether  they  are  adequately  or 
inadequately  paid. 

If  the  attempt  is  made  to  ascertain  the  number  of  equivalent  eighl- 
hour  days  which  were  worked  during  the  years  1910  and  1916,  when 
a  nine-hour  day  was  effective,  not  by  multiplying  by  nine-eighths, 
but  on  the  basis  of  tons  produced,  the  unexpected  conclusion  is 
reached  that  on  an  eight-hour-day  basis  fewer  rather  than  more  days 
would  have  been  worked.  A  glance  at  the  tables  will  show  that  the 
mine  workers  produced  more  coal  per  man  per  day  in  the  eight-hour 
years  1916  to  1918  than  they  did  in  the  nine-hour  years  1910  to  191;"). 
This  information  can  be  segregated  in  a  table,  as  follows : 


PRODUCTION  PER  MAN  PER  DAY  AND  DAYS  WORKED,  COVERING 
9-HOUR  AND  8-HOUR  YEARS. 


Year. 

Tons  per  man 
per  day. 

Days  worked 
per  year. 

Equivalent  8-hr. 

days  on  basis  of 
of  average 
production. 

1910  (9  hours) 

2.17 
2.11 
2.10 
2.03 
2.06 
2.19 

229 
246 
231 
257 
245 
230 

1911   (9  hours) 

1912  (9  hours) 

1913  (9  hours) 

1914  (9  hours) 

1915  (9  hours) 

Average 

1916  (8  hours  after  April) 

1917  (8  hours) 

2.11 

2.16 

2.27 

2.28 

240 

253 
285 
293 

226 

1918  (8  hours) 

Average 

2.24 

Obviously,  if  during  the  nine-hour  years  the  worker  had  produced 
as  much  coal  per  man  per  day  as  during  the  succeeding  eight-hour 
years,  thej'  would  have  worked  only  226  days  per  year  instead  of 
240  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  market.  In  other  words,  the  indus- 
try would  have  been  more  irregular  than  it  actually  was. 

That  production  may  increase  when  hours  are  decreased  is  sub- 
stantiated by  the  experience  of  the  short-hour  mines  of  Durham  and 
Northumberland,  in  England.  Mr.  Cunningham,  Assistant  Under 
Secretary  for  the  Home  Department,  in  his  evidence  before   the 


28 

Miners'  Eight-Hour-Day  Committee  in  1907,  said,  in  commenting 
upon  a  reduction  of  1-%  hours  per  week  in  the  mines  above  referred 
to: 

''We  have  every  right  to  presume  that  the  production  did  go  up 
while  the  hours  went  down." 

This  committee  of  the  British  Government,  the  recommendations 
of  which  led  to  the  Eight-Hour  Law,  summarizes  its  conclusions 
from  evidence  as  follows: 

''Nevertheless,  after  making  allowance  for  this  governing  fact, 
and  comparing  like  with  like,  so  far  as  the  evidence  enables  us 
to  do  so,  we  cannot  but  conclude  that  an  hour's  work  of  the 
men  employed  in  East  and  West  Scotland,  Northumberland 
and  Durham,  where  the  hours  of  work  are  shortest,  is  more 
effective  than  it  is  in  Lancashire  and  South  Wales,  where  the 
hours  are  longest.  The  tables  do  not  show  a  uniform  propor- 
tionate correspondence,  but  they  do  show  some  general  rela- 
tion between  short  hours  and  efficient  work." 

Such  facts  as  these,  which  are  today  well  known  to  industrial 
experts,  show  the  impossibility  of  reducing  the  actual  day's  work 
to  any  equivalent  basis  merely  on  the  basis  of  number  of  hours 
worked.  For  this  reason  the  242  days  average  for  the  period  under 
consideration  stands  as  a  conservative  estimate  of  the  irregularity 
prevalent  in  the  industry  under  normal  market  conditions.  Had 
the  market  for  the  year  1917  to  1918  been  normal  and  the  usual  sup- 
ply of  labor  been  available,  such  production  per  man  per  day  as  pre- 
vailed in  those  years  would  have  resulted  in  greater  irregularity 
than  that  shown  as  the  average  for  the  preceding  years. 

The  Years  1917  to  1918  Nor  an  Index  of  Regularity. 

As  already  pointed  out,  the  years  1910  to  1919  cannot  be  averaged 
together  as  a  homogeneous  period  to  show  that  the  growth  of  popu- 
lation is  actually  bringing  about  regularity  in  the  industry.  The 
following  table  shows  conclusively  that  the  years  1917  to  1918 
stand  apart  as  abnormal  years.  The  production  figures  used  in  this 
table  were  prepared  by  the  mine  operators. 


29 


CONTRAST  BETWEEN  NORMAL  AND  ABNORMAL  YEARS  IN  ANTHRACITE 

INDUSTRY. 


1 

1           Production 
1 

Year. 

Prepared  and  pea 
(tons). 

Steam  sizes 
(tons). 

Days 
worked. 

No.  of  men 
employed. 

1912 

1913 

1914 

1915 

1916 

Average  . . 

1917 

1918 

Average  . . 

45,678,201 

50,594,305 

1  49,998,507 

1  48,944,747 

1  48,245,724 

48,692,297 
52,730,992 

17,932,377 
18,475,323 
18,344,094 
18,939,029 
19,130,640 

231 
257 
245 
230 
253 

174,030 
175,745 
179,679 
176,552 
159,869 
1 

1  53.487,277 
1  51,974,714 

23,646.028 
24,675,204 

285 
293 

154,174 
147,121 

1 

1919 

48.991,572 

17,863,739 

(252-273) 

152,000 

This  shows  the  very  interesting  fact  that  the  production  figures 
for  1915,  1916  and  1919  are  approximately  equal.  They  are  approxi- 
mately equal  to  the  average  production  for  the  years  1912-1916. 
This  would  seem  to  indicate  that  during  the  last  decade  the  anthra- 
cite market  has  reached  a  relatively  stable  position  with  an  average 
production  in  domestic  sizes  of  approximately  -18,000,000  tons.  In 
contrast  with  this  average,  the  years  1917.  1918,  with  the  production 
of  domestic  sizes  8  per  cent  higher,  and  an  even  greater  increase  in 
the  production  of  steam  sizes,  appear  distinctly  abnormal. 

This  abnormal  condition  of  the  market  has  been  recognized  by 
practically  all  authorities  engaged  in  observing  the  course  of  the 
industry.  In  this  connection  the  following  quotations  and  various 
Grovemment  reports  are  interesting: 


"There  has  undoubtably  been  an  immense  artificial  demand 
for  anthracite  this  spring.  Thousands  of  householders  who 
normally  do  not  buy  until  fall  have  this  year  poured  in  their 
orders  in  April  and  May."      (P.  31.) 

'The  greater  consumption  of  large  sizes  of  anthracite  by  gas 
and  carbon  plants  and  by  railroads  has  caused  an  increase  in 
demand  for  these  sizes.  This  is  due  largely  to  the  fact  that  coal 
which  formerly  came  into  competition  with  anthracite  coal  has 
been  diverted  to  other  uses.  Many  gas  plants  which  in  the 
past  have  been  making  coke  as  a  by-product,  some  in  competi- 
tion with  anthracite,  have  very  materially  curtailed  their  out- 
put because  of  the  high  price  of  soft  coal.  Large  manufactur- 
ing plants  which  use  coke  in  connection  with  their  manufactur- 


30 

ing  processes  have  turned  to  anthracite  on  account  of  the 
shortage  in  coke.  *  *  *  Public  utilities  in  some  parts  of 
the  country  have  been  affected  to  a  considerable  extent  by  the 
shortage  of  coke  and  have  substituted  anthracite  for  it.  And 
unprecedented  industrial  activity  created  a  growing  demand 
for  steam  sizes  by  manufacturing  plants  regularly  using  an- 
thracite.    *     *     * 

''The  great  expansion  of  industrial  activity  in  the  steel,  the 
cotton  textile,  and  the  munition  industries  accounts  for  a  ma- 
terial increase  in  the  consumption  and  demand  for  bituminous 
coal,  which  in  turn  has  indirectly  placed  an  added  demand 
on  the  anthracite  supply  by  industries  that  could  substitute 
anthracite  when  bituminous  could  not  be  had  or  when  the  price 
of  bituminous  was  higher  than  that  of  anthracite."     *     ♦     * 

(Pp.  84-85,  report  of  Fed.  Trade  Com.  on  Anthracite  and 
Bit.  Coal,  June,  1917.) 

"The  requirements  of  the  country  for  anthracite  for  domes- 
tic use,  for  the  military  uses  of  the  government,  for  water  gas 
manufacture,  and  for  industrial  purposes  to  replace  coke 
withdrawn  for  the  iron  industry,  were  greater  in  1917  than  in 
in  any  previous  year.     *     *     * 

"The  shortage  of  bituminous  coal  in  the  Eastern  States  was 
pronounced  throughout  the  year,  and  the  fine  sizes  of  anthra- 
cite were  eagerly  sought  as  a  substitute  for  mixture  with  bi- 
tuminous coal  by  industrial  plants,  especially  during  the  last 
third  of  the  year."  *  *  *  (P.  1014  Mineral  Resources  of 
U.  S.,  1917.) 

In  connection  with  the  shortage  of  labor,  after  remarking  on  the 
drift  of  low  paid  mine  labor  to  the  munitions  industries  and  upon 
the  fact  that  this  did  not  result  in  a  corresponding  decrease  in  pro- 
duction, the  Federal  Trade  Report  makes  the  following  interesting 
comment : 

"From  these  facts  it  is  clear  that  great  credit  is  due  to  the 
miners  and  to  the  mining  companies.  Apparently  the  remain- 
ing labor  force,  though  working  only  8  hours  a  day  instead  of  9, 
was  more  efficient  and  the  companies  managed  their  operations 
so  as  to  produce  the  maximum  possible  under  the  difficulties  en- 
countered."     (P.  35.) 

These  quotations  may  be  supplemented  from  the  weekly  bulletins 
of  the  Geological  Survey  for  the  year  1919  as  follows : 

"The  total  output  since  the  beginning  of  the  coal  year  is 
naturally  far  short  of  that  of  last  year,  when  an  abnormal  de- 
mand for  anthiacite  was  created  by  the  shortage  of  bitumi- 
nous."    (Sept.  27,  1919.) 


31 

"To  compare  1919  with  the  exceptional  years  of  the  war  is 
perhaps  deceptive.  A  more  instructive  comparison  can  be  had 
between  the  first  six  months  of  the  coal  years  beginning  April 
1,  1919,  and  1916,  etc."     ♦     *     •     (October  11,  1919.) 

Labor  Shortage  and  Kegularity  of  Employment  in  1917  and  1918. 

Perhaps  even  more  significant  a  cause  of  the  abnormal  regularity 
of  emjiloyment  in  the  industry  during  1917-1918  was  the  shortage 
of  labor  caused  by  the  war.  The  close  correspondence  between 
number  of  mine  workers  and  number  of  days  worked  per  year  ap- 
pears clearly  in  the  above  table.  The  average  number  of  men  em- 
ployed in  the  anthracite  industry  for  the  abnormal  years  1917-1918 
was  150,647.  As  contrasted  with  the  average  for  the  previous  six 
years,  173,502,  this  shovrs  a  falling  off  of  over  22,000.  In  other 
words,  during  these  years  of  abnormal  regularity  there  were  15 
per  cent,  fewer  workers  producing  8  per  cent,  more  coal  to  meet  the 
demand  for  domestic  sizes.  This  takes  no  account  of  the  extra  men 
required  to  produce  the  additional  steam  sizes.  Clearly  it  required 
labor  shortage  coupled  with  a  highly  artificial  demand  to  bi*ing 
about  regularity  even  approximating  a  full  working  year  in  the  an- 
thracite industry. 

As  a  concrete  illustration  of  the  way  in  which  the  decrease  in  num- 
ber of  men  employed  actually  increases  the  regularity  of  employ- 
ment we  might  take  the  year  1918.  In  contrast  with  this  year  the 
average  of  men  employed  in  the  years  prior  to  the  war  was  20  per 
cent,  higher.  As  already  pointed  out  the  question  of  adequate  em- 
ployment may  be  considered  either  in  terms  of  the  number  of  tons 
which  the  market  requires  per  worker  or  in  terms  of  the  number  of 
days  which  the  mine  operates  to  meet  the  demand.  Assuming  that 
the  average  requirements  of  the  market  amount  to  90,000,000  tons 
annually  of  all  kinds  of  anthracite  this  would  mean  that  each 
worker  would  have  hypothetical  opportunity  to  produce  600  tons  per 
year  when  the  smaller  number  of  men  were  employed  as  contrasted 
with  523  tons  per  year  with  the  normal  labor  force  on  hand.  In 
terms  of  number  of  days  worked  the  conclusion  is  even  more  in- 
teresting. In  order  to  meet  the  market  requirements  in  1918  with 
approximately  147,000  workers,  293  working  days  were  required;  if 
the  number  of  workers  had  been  20  per  cent,  higher  as  was  the  case 
prior  to  the  war  it  would  have  required  only  252  days  to  satisfy  the 
market.  This  represents  approximately  the  best  estimate  as  to  the 
probable  number  of  working  days  in  the  industry  under  normal  con- 
ditions. 


32 

Following  the  conc-lusion  of  the  war.  conditions  in  the  industry 
have  been  steadily  returning  to  normal.  As  ghown  in  the  analysis 
of  the  x^roduction  figures  prepared  by  the  operators,  the  production 
of  coal  for  1919  was  approximately  the  average  for  the  years  1910 
to  1916,  during  which  the  mine  workers  were  unemployed  for  twenty 
per  cent  of  the  year.  The  other  determining  factor,  labor  shortage, 
is  also  being  reduced  to  normal.  According  to  the  weekly  report 
of  the  Geological  Survey  for  August  9,  1919,  "it  is  reported  that  the 
supi>ly  of  labor  in  the  anthracite  regions  is  improving.'*  This  is 
confirmed  by  the  figures  submitted  by  the  operators  which  show  that 
nearly  5,000  men  have  been  added  since  the  lowest  point  was  reached 
in  191S.  The  fact  of  over-investment  in  the  industry  is  therefore 
operating  again  to  bring  more  labor  into  anthracite  mining  than 
the  annual  market  would  require  if  regular  conditions  of  employ- 
ment were  maintained. 

In  other  words,  an  analysis  of  the  forces  which  determine  con- 
ditions of  employment  in  the  anthracite  industry  will  lead  to  the 
conviction  that  the  forces  in  operation  since  the  war  have  been 
steadily  reducing  the  industry  to  approximately  the  condition  which 
jrevailed  during  the  years  which  averaged  242  days  of  operation. 
The  market  required  no  more  prepared  and  pea  coal  in  1919  than  it 
averaged  for  the  years  1912-1916.  The  weekly  bulletins  issued  by 
the  Geological  Survey  show  a  steady  decline  in  the  requirements 
of  The  market  following  the  armistice. 

The  Year  1919  2s'ot  Completely  Normal. 

Even  the  year  1919  cannot  be  considered  as  a  completely  normal 
year.  The  market  would  have  required  less  coal  from  the  anthracite 
mines  in  1919  had  it  not  been  for  the  aii:ificial  situation  created 
by  the  bituminous  strike.  This  is  clearly  shov>-n  in  the  reports  of 
anthracite  production  compiled  week  by  week  at  the  U.  S.  Geo- 
logical Survey.     To  quote  the  comments  of  this  weekly  report: 

"Anxiety  felt  by  consumers  over  the  impending  bituminous 
strike  was  reflected  in  the  demand  for  anthracite,  production 
of  which  reached  a  new  high  level  for  the  vear."  I  Nov.  1, 
1919.) 

"The  anthracite  industry  responded  to  the  stimulus  of  ac- 
tive demand  caused  by  the  soft  coal  strike  with  the  largest 
production  of  the  year."      (Nov.  29,  1919.) 

'•The  output  oi  anthracite  during  the  Vvcek  ended  December 
6  continued  at  the  high  rate  maintained  since  the  commence- 
ment of  the  bituminous  strike."     (Dec.  13.  1919.) 


33 

'•Eespondiug  to  the  active  demand  caused  by  the  growing 
shortage  of  bituminous  coal  the  output  of  anthracite  during  the 
week  ended  December  13,  rose  to  the  highest  level  attained  this 
year — indeed,  the  highest  in  any  week  since  September,  1918." 
(Dec.  20,  1919.) 

In  other  words,  had  it  not  been  for  this  abnormal  demand  during 
the  last  weeks  of  1919,  the  production  of  that  year  would  have  been 
lower  than  the  figure  shown  by  several  hundred  thousand  tons. 

The  year  1919  also  shows  a  continuation  of  the  shortage  of  labor 
which  existed  during  the  war,  although  the  industry  had  started  to 
return  to  its  pre-war  quota.  As  this  increase  in  the  number  of 
workers  continues,  it  Vvill  mean  some  increase  in  the  production 
per  day  with  a  consequent  reduction  of  the  number  of  days  neces- 
sary to  produce  for  the  market. 


Less  Complicating  Factors  in  Anthracite  Than  in  Bituminous 

Mining. 

In  general  it  might  be  remarked  that  there  are  less  complicating 
factors  in  the  anthracite  branch  of  the  coal  industry  than  in  bitu- 
minous. Whereas  over  50  per  cent  of  bituminous  coal  is  produced 
by  machinery,  with  the  use  of  machinery  increasing,  it  has  not  yet 
been  found  possible  to  use  machines  in  anthracite  except  to  a 
to  a  ver}'  limited  extent,  approximately  2  per  cent  of  the  coal  being 
so  produced.  This  means  that  the  problem  of  regularity  will  not 
be  immediately  affected  by  a  rapid  increase  in  the  productive  capac- 
ity of  the  individual  worker. 

Again,  it  may  be  noted  that  the  problem  of  ''car  shortage"  is  not 
so  serious  in  the  anthracite  industry  as  in  bituminous.  This  is 
explained  by  the  Federal  Trade  Commission  Report  as  follows : 

"In  the  anthracite  industry,  where  the  initial  anthracite 
railroads  are  identified  or  affiliated  with  the  larger  mining  com- 
panies, the  transportation  difficulties  are  less  serious  than  in 
the  bituminous  industry.  With  minor  exceptions  the  car  sup- 
ply for  the  production  of  coal  at  the  anthracite  mines  seems 
adequate." 

The  Commission  obtained  statistics  relating  to  the  railroad  car 
supply  at  the  operations  of  fifteen  anthracite  mining  companies. 
Their  consolidated  tabulation  is  given  below. 


34 


ESTIfilATED  RAILROAD-CAR  TONNAGE  REQUIREMENTS  OF  13  ANTHRA- 
CITE MINING  COMPANIES,  AND  ESTIMATED  COMMERCIAL  TONNAGE 
LOST  THROUGH  AN  INADEQUATE  CAR  SUPPLY  BY  MONTHS,  1915  AND 
1916.     (GROSS  TONS). 


Month. 


Estimated  commercial 
shipments  if  fully     | 


Tonnage  shipped. 


[Estim.  produc.  of  comL 
tonnage  lost  thru  an 


supplied  with  cars. 

1  inadequate  car  supply. 

1915 

1916 

1915 

1916 

1915 

1916 

January    

February   

March    

April    

3,250,582 
2,959,208 
3,486,654 
4,604,499 

4,417,709 
4,369,660 
4,894,091 
^  !>7CJ  1  n."? 

3,141,210 
2,836,550 
3,338,020 
4,605,631 
4,051,140 
3,699,578 
3,389,589 
3,626,009 
3,811,188 
4,562,631 
4,467,130 
4,176,305 

4,097,664 
3,976,877 
4,394,644 
3,073,936 
3,776,639 
3,989,027 
3,820,079 
3,965,309 
3,866,956 
4,138,915 
4,299,327 
4,076,594 

109,372 

122,658 

148,634 

'379 

85,592 

335,045 

80,034 

35,900 

'2,396 

97,270 

90,733 

377,509 

320,045 
392,783 
499,447 
205,167 
173  907 

May   

4,136,7321     3'9.f^n'54fi 

June    

3,734,623 
3,469,623 
3,661,909 
3,799,054 
4,659,901 
4,557,863 
4,553,814 

4,077,789 
3,917,704 
4,084,790 
4,083,075 
4,292,709 
4,402,371 
4,179,373 

88  762 

July    

97  625 

August    

September    

October    

November   

December    

119,481 
216,119 
153,794 
103,044 
102,779 

Total  14  Co.'s.. 
1  Co.  12  mos... 

46,874,462 
4,642,807 

49,948,920 
5,137,916 

45,704,981 
4,562,925 

47,475,967 
4,413,507 

1,185,522 
79,882 

2,472,953 
724,409 

Tl.  15  companies 

51,517,269 

55,086,836 

50,267,906 

51,889,474 

1,265,404 

3,197,362 

The  data  in  the  preceding  table  represent  returns  from  companies 
shipping  72.6  per  cent  of  the  commercial  shipments  of  anthracite 
during  1915  and  76.2  per  cent  of  the  commercial  shipments  during 
1916.  The  loss  in  potential  production  resulting  from  inadequate 
railroad  car  supply  was  for  the  above  years,  1,265,404  gross  tons 
and  3,197,362  gross  tons,  respectively.  This  meant  a  loss  totaling 
only  2.517  per  cent  of  their  combined  commercial  shipments  in 
1915,  and  6.161  per  cent  of  these  shipments  in  1916.  Thus  it  appears 
that  although  the  figure  rose  somewhat  in  1916,  the  problem  of  car 
shortage  is  not  acute  in  the  anthracite  industry. 

There  is  one  other  factor  which  has  been  referred  to  from  time 
to  time  which  must  be  mentioned  again,  i.  e.  idleness  due  to  strikes. 
From  the  previous  discussion  the  impression  may  have  been  gained 
that  the  degree  of  idleness  due  to  such  strikes  was  very  considerable. 


'One  company  reported  car  tonnage  furm'shed  in  excess  of  shipments,  1,511  tons 
in  April,  1915,  and  14,530  tons  in  September,  1915. 


35 

A  diagram  has  been  prepared  recently  by  the  U.  S.  Geological  Sur- 
vey in  order  to  gain  some  idea  of  the  extent  to  which  strikes  are  a 
factor  in  non-operation  in  the  coal  industry'.  As  shown  in  the 
diagram,  idleness  due  to  strikes  has,  during  the  period  1910-1918, 
amounted  to  but  a  little  over  one-tenth  of  the  total  days  of  non- 
operation.  And  here  it  should  be  pointed  out  again  that,  except 
for  the  strike  of  1902,  which  has  been  left  out  in  reckoning  the  gen- 
eral average,  the  strikes  have  not  materially  affected  the  average 
because  they  indirectly  caused  a  compensatory  greater  number  of 
days  worked  in  the  preceding  and  succeeding  years. 


36 
VI. 

PROBABLE  IRREGULARITY  IN  THE  FUTURE. 

I II  estimating  the  probable  number  of  days  which  will  be  worked 
in  <he  anthracite  industry  under  present  circumstances,  two  broad 
facts  must  be  considered,  (1)  the  market  requirements  and  (2) 
Ihe  number  of  men  employed.  There  is  of  course  a  third  variant, 
the  production  per  man  per  day.  The  fact  that  this  third  item 
enters  creates  a  very  interesting  situation.  Given  certain  market 
requirements  and  a  certain  number  of  workers,  the  setting  of  a  low 
rate  by  forcing  the  men  to  speed  up  production  for  the  sake  of  gain- 
ing adequate  earnings  tends  to  cause  them  to  produce  the  supply 
in  fewer  days.  Thus  low  rates  in  the  industry  will  place  the  workers 
in  a  dilemma  in  which  they  have  a  choice  between  earning  more  per 
day  with  fewer  days  in  which  to  earn  the  annual  wage,  or  extend- 
ing the  same  annual  earning  over  a  greater  number  of  days.  This 
really  points  to  the  abnormal  condition  of  the  industry. 

Briefly  summarized,  the  forces  operating  to  determine  the  present 
situation  in  the  industry  might  be  stated  as  follows: 

(1)  Competitive  over-investment  and  inflated  capitalization 
have  provided  the  industry  with  a  burden  of  overhead  which  it  has 
been  forced  to  carry  since  the  market  was  organized  on  a  more 
or  less  non-competitive  basis, 

(2)  This  situation  rendered  high  prices  necessary.  These  were 
maintained  in  part  by  artificial  limitation  of  the  supply  through 
the  organization  of  the  market  on  a  non-competitive  basis. 

(3)  There  resulted  a  growing  encroachment  of  low-price  bitu- 
minous coal,  fuel  oil  and  gas  upon  the  various  branches  of  the 
anthracite  market.  This  first  limited  the  growth  of  the  anthracite 
market  to  the  steady  increase  in  population,  and  finally  tended  to 
cut  in  even  upon  the  domestic  market. 

(4)  During  the  last  decade  these  forces  have  tended  to  produce 
a  state  of  equilibrium  at  what  is  probably  very  nearly  the  maximum 
steady  production  which  the  anthracite  industry  will  attain.  In 
other  words,  general  opinion  confirms  the  belief  that  the  anthracite 
market  reached  its  normal  level  during  the  years  just  preceding  the 
war  and  that  it  is  not  likely  to  exceed  this  level  in  the  near  future. 
With  a  normal  labor  force,  therefore,  it  cannot  be  expected  that  the 
anthracite  industry  will  exceed  an  average  of  250  days  operation. 
Variation  below  this  figure  will  be  determined  primarily  by  market 


37 

conditions.  The  probable  average  of  days  of  operation  is  more  likely 
to  approximate  242  days.  In  other  words,  the  most  optimistic 
view  possible  can  promise  the  anthracite  mine  worker  scarcely  more 
than  80  per  cent  employment.  He  is  faced  with  the  probability 
of  at  least  GO  working  days  in  which  he  will  be  unable,  through  no 
fault  of  his  own,  to  earn  a  living  wage. 

Jn  connection  with  this  estimate  it  should  be  pointed  out  that 
were  the  abnormal  conditions  of  the  war  years  to  continue,  the 
anthracite  industry  will  probably  prove  unable  to  maintain  steady 
operation  at  anything  like  the  rates  shown  for  those  years.  Accord- 
ing to  the  report  of  the  Pennsylvania  Department  of  Mines  for  1903 

"The  number  of  working  days  *  *  ♦  can  hardly  exceed 
250  in  the  year,  as  the  repairs  to  the  mines,  inside  and  outside, 
require  many  weeks,  and  the  loss  of  several  weeks  more  is 
caused  by  various  accidents,  explosions,  flooding  and  cave-ins 
of  mines,*^  and  breaking  of  machinery." 

In  fact,  in  forming  any  estimate  it  must  be  recognized  that,  as  in 
the  case  of  so  many  other  industries,  the  exigencies  of  war  pro- 
duced a  straining  to  accomplish  the  necessary  work  which  tended 
to  neglect  the  usual  repairs  and  the  upkeep  of  various  material 
parts  of  the  various  mine  property.  Such  a  pace  could  not  be  main- 
tained for  a  long  period. 


BEFORE  THE  UNITED  STATES  ANTHRACITE 
COAL  COMMISSION 


EMPLOYES  EXHIBIT  NUMBER-^ 


FREIGHT  RATES  ON 

ANTHRACITE  COAL 

1914-1920 


Presented  by 
W.    JETT    LAUCK 

On  behalf  of 

John  L.  Lewis,  President 

Philip  Murray,  Vice-President 

F.  P,  Hanaway,  International  Representative 

Percy  Tetlovv.  Statistician 

John  Denipsey  ^  Committee  Representing 

1  homas   Kennedy  >       r\-  .  ■  ,     t     -!        in 
ru  ■      1    n  \j  Districts  \,  1  and  9 

Chris.  J.  Ciolden  J 

Of  the 

United  Mine  Workers  of  America 


WASHINGTON 
1920 


BEFORE  THE  UNITED  STATES  ANTHRACITE 
COAL  COMMISSION 


EMPLOYES  EXHIBIT  NUMBER- 


FREIGHT  RATES  ON 

ANTHRACITE  COAL 
1914-1920 


Presented  by 
W.    JETT    LAUCK 


On  behalf  of 


United  Mine  Workers  of  America 


WASHINGTON 
1920 


17  A 


I 


FREIGHT  RATES  ON  ANTHRACITE  COAL, 
1914-1920 

The  following  tables  show  the  rates  of  freight  iii  effect  at  the 
present  time  and  during  1914  on  anthracite  coal  from  the  producing 
districts  in  Pennsylvania  to  the  cities  in  which  retail  prices  were 
obtained,  except  Scranton,  Pa.,  which  is  in  the  heart  of  the  anthra- 
cite region.  Rates  are  also  shown  to  tidewater  points  for  shipment 
by  water. 

These  rates  are  taken  from  the  published  tariffs  of  the  principal 
anthracite  can-ying  railroads  on  file  with  the  Interstate  Commerce 
Commission.  As  anthracite  shipments  to  Philadelphia  move  solely 
in  intrastate  traffic,  some  rates  were  not  on  file  with  the  Commission 
prior  to  1917,  when  the  United  States  Railroad  Administration  was 
created. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  rates  via  different  lines  are  very  uni- 
form to  New  England  points  and  to  Baltimore  and  Washington. 
Owing  to  the  close  proximity  of  Philadelphia  to  the  anthracite 
fields,  there  is  a  differential  on  coal  shipments  between  near  and 
distant  mines.  To  some  extent  this  is  also  true  of  New  York,  while 
the  several  delivery  points  in  that  city  likewise  carry  different  rates. 
It  will  also  be  noted  that  there  was  a  general  increase  in  rates 
between  1914  and  1920. 


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REFERENCE  NOTES 

1.  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  AA-1133   (1920),  AA-318    (1914). 

2  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  Tariffs,   I.   C.   C.  Nos.  AA-1358    (1920),  AA-312    (1914). 

3.  Delaware,  L.  &  W.  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  15334  (1920),  8088  (1914). 

4.  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  AA-1127  (1920),  AA-337  (1914). 

5.  Philadelphia  &  Reading  Tariffs,   I.   C.   C.  Nos.  A-888    (1920),   A-366    (1914). 
6  Philadelphia  &  Reading  Tariffs,   I.   C.   C.  Nos.   A-800>   (1920),  A-689    (1917). 

7.  Philadelphia  &  Reading   Tariffs,   I.   C.   C.  Nos.  A-763    (1920),  A-493    (1914). 

8.  Delaware  &  Hudson  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  12851   (1920),  11013  (1914). 
9  Delaware  &  Hudson  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  12851   (1920),  1105   (1914). 

10.  Central  R.  R.  of  N.  J.  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  A-5S1  (1920),  A-211   (1914). 

11.  Central  R.  R.  of  N.  J.  Tariffs,   I.  C.  C.  Nos.  A-376    (1920),  A-249    (1914). 

12.  Central  R.  R.  of  N.  J.  Tariffs,   I.  C.  C.  Nos.  A-583    (1920),  A-137    (1914). 

13.  Central  R.  R.  of  N.  J.  Tariffs,   I.  C.   C.  Nos.  A-490    (1920),  A-474    (1914). 

14.  Philadelphia  &  Reading  Tariffs,   I.   C.  C.   Nos.   A-759    (1920),   A-408    (1914). 

15.  Lehigh  Valley   R.  !R.    Tariffs,    I.    C.    C.   Nos.    D-1098    (1920),   D-605    (1914). 

16.  Lehigh   Valley    R.    R.    Tariffs,    I.    C.    C.   Nos.    D-980    (1920),    D-682    (1914). 

17.  Lehigh   Valley   R.   R.   Tariffs,    I.    C.   C.   Nos.   D-1217    (1920),   D-653    (1914). 

18.  Erie  R.  R.  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  D-860  (1920),  D-634   (1914). 

19.  Lehigh  &  New  England  R.  R.  Tariffs,  L  C.  C.  Nos.  A-4832  (1920),  A-3636  (1916). 

20.  Lehigh  «5;  New  England  R.  R.  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  A-4892  (1920),  A-2442  (1914). 

21.  Lehigh  &  New  England  ^.  R.  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  A-4785  (1920),  A-2481  (1914). 

22.  New  York,  Ontario  &  W.  R.  R.  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  7855  (1920),  5149  (1914). 

23.  Erie  R.  R.  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  D-890   (1920),  D-662   (1914). 

24.  Philadelphia  &  Reading  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  A-721  (1920),  A-504  (1914). 

25.  Philadelphia  &  Reading  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  A-728   (1920),  A-502   (1914). 

26.  Philadelphia  &  Reading  Tariffs,  I.  C.  C.  Nos.  A-833  (1920),  A-445  (1914). 


I 


BEFORE  THE  UNITED  STATES  ANTHRACITE 
COAL  COMMISSION 

EMPLOYES  EXHIBIT  NUMBER^ 


OCCUPATION  HAZARD  OF 
ANTHRACITE  MINERS 


Presented  by 
W.    JETT    LAUCK 

On  behalf  of 

John  L.  Lewis,  President 

Philip  Murray,   Vice-President 

F,  P.  Hanaway,  International  Representative 

Percy  Tetlow,  Statistician 

John  Dempsey  )   Committee  Representing 

1  homas   Kennedy  >       r^-  .  •  .     i     -7       j  n 

r'L  •      T    r'   ij  I         Districts    I,   /   and  V 

Chris,  j,  Liolden  ) 


Of  the 

United  Mine  Workers  of  America 


WASHINGTON 
1920 


f  Jiis  exhibit  was  prepared  uhder  tb© 

supervision  of 

W.  JETT  LAUCK 

by  Henry  J   Harris 


BEFORE  THE  UNITED  STATES  ANTHRACITE 
COAL  COMMISSION 


EMPLOYES  EXHIBIT  NUMBER- 


OCCUPATION  HAZARD  OF 
ANTHRACITE  MINERS 


Presented  by 

W.    JETT    LAUCK 


On  behalf  of 


United  Mine  Workers  of  America 


WASHINGTON 

1920 


3A 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Summary   of  Conclusions 5 

General  Character  of  Hazards 6 

I.     The  Duration  of  the  Life  of  the  Anthracite  Miner 7 

II.     The  Accident  Hazard  of  Coal  Miners 12 

III.  Occupational  Diseases  of  Coal  Miners 22 

IV.  Premature  Invalidity  of  Coal  Miners 24 


OCCUPATION  HAZARD  OF  ANTHRACITE  MINERS 


Summary  of  Conclusions. 

1.  A  prominent  authority  states,  "Probably  no  industry  is  so  sub- 

ject to  exceptional  hazards  as  the  coal  industry." 

2.  The  general   mortality   of  the  anthracite   miner  is  distinctly 

above  the  average  for  all  occupied  males. 

3.  A  large  and  representative  life  insurance  company  will  accept 

coal  miners  only  if  they  pay  rates  for  16  years  above  the 
actual  age,  and  even  then  will  permit  them  to  have  no 
cheaper  form  of  policy  than  a  20-year  endowment;  only  one 
other  occupation  is  subjected  to  more  drastic  conditions. 

4.  The  Director  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines  stated: 

"The  hazard  of  (coal)  mining  is  undeniably  on  the  increase." 

5.  The  latest  anthracite  report  of  the  Pennsylvania  Department  of 

Mines  states  that,  in  spite  of  increased  inspections,  there 
has  been  no  decrease  in  the  fatalities  in  or  about  the  mines. 
C.  A  Bulletin  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics 
states:  ''Throughout  every  year  of  the  working  period  of 
life  the  mortality  of  coal  miners  includes  a  relatively  much 
higher  proportion  of  deaths  from  accidents  than  is  found 
to  prevail  among  all  occupied  males." 

The  State  Insurance  Department  of  Pennsylvania  found 
that  anthracite  mining  had  the  highest  accident  severity 
rating  of  all  industries  under  the  compensation  act,  with 
but  one  exception,  viz.,  iron  construction. 

7.  The  personal  accident  insurance  companies  impose  strict  limi- 

tations on  the  occupation  of  coal  miner,  and  will  grant  only 
a  minimum  amount  of  insurance;  printers  and  machinists 
are  given  five  and  six  times  more  insurance  protection  than 
the  coal  miner. 

8.  The  leading  causes  of  death  are  respiratory  diseases  and  indus- 

trial accident. 

9.  The  non-fatal  accidents  in  the  Pennsylvania  anthracite   field 

in  1916  disabled  about  one-sixth  of  the  entire  working  force 
for  a  greater  or  less  period. 

The  Report  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Health  Insurance 
Commission    states  that   "the  total   sickness   rate   among 


3B 


6 

miners  was  8  per  cent  higher  than  the  general  rate  for 
white  adult  males." 

10.  Where  the  injury  did  not  cause  death,  it  most  frequently  caused 

disabilit}'  in  the  arms  and  legs,  with  resulting  inability  to 
resume  mine  work  on  recovery, 

11.  The  Report  of  the  renusylvania  State  Commission  on  Old  Age 

Pensions  states,  ''Miners  age  prematurely." 

General  Character  of  Hazards. 

Anthracite  mining  is  quite  generally  recognized  as  a  hazardous 
occupation,  but  the  full  extent  of  this  hazard  is  not  generally  appre- 
ciated. In  the  following  statement  a  summary  is  given  of  authorita- 
tive information  on  this  subject.  The  sources  of  these  data  are  the 
findings  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics,  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Mines,  the  Pennsylvania  State  Department  of 
Mines,  State  commissions,  the  experience  of  leading  life  and  accident 
insurance  companies,  etc. 

The  importance  of  combating  this  great  occupational  hazard  is  so 
clearly  recognized  that  the  Federal  Government  has  created  a  special 
national  ofilice — the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines — to  aid  the  in- 
dustry in  this  movement  of  reducing  the  danger  to  life  and  limb. 
No  other  industry  has  received  this  rather  doubtful  honor,  with  the 
exception  of  railroading,  which  is  peculiarly  an  interstate  industry. 

Not  only  is  the  hazard  of  mining  exceptional,  but  there  is  no  indi- 
cation that  it  is  diminishing — in  fact,  the  Director  of  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Mines  states:  "The  hazard  of  (coal)  mining  is 
undeniably  on  the  increase."  The  Pennsylvania  Department  of  Mines 
states  that,  in  spite  of  a  great  increase  in  the  number  of  inspectors, 
there  has  been  no  reduction  in  the  number  of  fatalities  to  anthracite 
miners. 

In  the  analysis  of  this  exceptionally  great  occupation  hazard,  the 
facts  may  be  summarized  under  the  following  headings : 

1.  The  duration  of  life  of  the  miner. 

2.  The  accident  hazard : 

a.  Fatal  accidents. 

b.  Non-fatal  accidents. 

3.  The  occupational  diseases  of  miners. 

4.  Premature  invalidity. 


I.     THE  DURATION  OF  LIFE  OF  THE  ANTHRACITE  MINER. 

The  mortality  experience  of  American  life  insurance  companies 
has  been  compiled  in  the  Medico-actuarial  investigations  of  these 
companies.  The  general  result  of  these  studies  is,  to  use  the  words  of 
Dr.  Hoffman,  "The  mortality  of  coal  minere  in  the  United  States  is 
distinctly  above  the  average."  It  must  be  remembered,  however, 
that  miners  who  are  accepted  for  life  insurance  are  subjected  to 
extreme  care  in  medical  examination.  The  following  statement  in 
Bulletin  231  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics  sum- 
marizes a  lengthy  study  of  the  mortality  of  miners : 

''The  only  additional  statistical  information  available  regard- 
ing the  mortality  of  coal  miners  in  the  United  States  is  the  com- 
bined collective  experience  of  American  life  insurance  com- 
panies, issued  by  the  Medico-actuarial  committee.  The  experi- 
ence, fortunately,  is  divided  into  anthracite  and  bituminous,  but 
not  with  reference  to  the  causes  of  death.  The  data  are  set 
forth  in  detail  in  Table  161.  which  indicates  the  ratio  of  the 
actual  to  the  expected  mortality,  showing  for  the  anthracite 
coal  miners  a  ratio  of  191  deaths  actually  experienced  against 
132  for  the  bituminous  miners.  How  far  the  factor  of  occupa- 
tional selection  is  of  importance  has  not  been  determined.  In 
all  probability  the  average  duration  of  insurance  in  bituminous 
coal  fields  is  less  than  in  the  older  anthracite  fields.  The  experi- 
ence for  both  classes  is  entirely  too  limited  for  a  safe  conclusion 
in  that  there  are  only  66  deaths  of  anthracite  coal  miners  and 
45  deaths  of  bituminous  coal  miners.  The  small  number  ex- 
posed to  risk  at  the  older  ages  is  suggestive  of  extreme  care  in 
medical  selection.  The  table,  particularly  for  the  younger  ages, 
indicates  that  the  general  mortality  of  coal  miners  in  the  Ignited 
States  is  distinctly  above  the  average." 


8 


MORTALITY    FROM    ALL    CAUSES    MIONG    COAL    MINERS    OF    UNITED 
STATES    (MEDICO-ACTUARIAL  EXPERIENCE)    BY  AGE   GROUPS. 


Age  at  Death. 


Anthracite  Coal  Miners: 

15  to  29  years 

30  to  39  years 

40  to  49  years 

50  to  59  years 

60  years  and  over 

Total 

Bituminous  Coal  Miners: 

15  to  29  years 

30  to  39  years 

40  to  49  years 

50  to  59  years 

60  years  and  over . . . . 

Total    


Number 

exposed 

to 

risk. 


Actual 
deaths. 


Expected 
deaths. 


Ratio  of 

actual  to 

expected 

deaths. 


1,412 

11 

6.71 

1,460 

15 

8.89 

949 

22 

9.76 

405 

17 

8.89 

9 

1 

.30 

164 
169 
225 
191 
333 


4,235 


2,883 

2,684 

738 

106 

3 


66 


22 

18         I 

t     i 


34.55 


12.60 

13.75 

6.00 

1.79 

.08 


6,414 


45 


34.22 


191 


175 

131 

67 

56 


132 


In  the  introduction  to  this  study  it  is  stated  ''generally  the  excess 
of  the  mortality  ratio  over  100  per  cent  indicates  the  extent  of  the 
extra  mortality  due  to  the  particular  occupation  in  question"  (Vol, 
III,  p.  6).  It  is  thus  fair  to  state,  on  the  basis  of  the  small  number 
of  miners  accepted  by  conservative  insurance  companies,  that  the 
anthracite  miner  has  a  death  rate  at  least  91  per  cent  higher  than 
the  average;  in  other  words,  almost  two  anthracite  miners  die  for 
every  one  person  in  a  healthy  occupation,  such  as  farm  worker. 

The  causes  of  the  high  death  rate  of  coal  miners  are  analyzed  in 
Bulletin  207  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics,  which 
gives  in  condensed  form  a  study  of  the  mortality  experience  of  the 
Metropolitan  Life  Insurance  Company  (Industrial  Department). 
The  Bulletin  states  (page  28  and  following)  : 

"There  were  1,557  deaths  among  coal  miners.^  The  table  fol- 
lowing indicates  the  distribution  of  these  deaths  by  age  periods^ 
and  the  corresponding  distribution  in  all  occupations" : 


^This  title  includes  foremen  and  workmen  in  coal  mines:  Line  drivers,  pit  miners 
(in  coal  mines  only),  cagers,  cribmen,  drillers,  laborers  in  coal  mines,  trimmers,  shaft 
tenders  and  tlmbermen  in  coal  mines. 


NUMBER  AND  PER  CENT  OF  DEATHS  FROM  ALL  CAUSES,  AMONG  COAL 
MINERS,  BY  AGE  PERIODS,  IN  COMPARISON  WITH  ALL  OCCUPA- 
TIONS—WHITE MALES. 


Age  periods  (years). 


Ages  15 

years 

and 

over. 

Item. 

15-24 

25-34 

35-44 

45-54 

55-64 

65  and 
over. 

Coal  Miners: 

Deaths  

1,557 

151 

135 

182 

319 

407 

363 

Per  cent  of  deaths. . 

All  Occupations: 

Per  cent  of  deaths. . 

100.0 
100.01 

9.7 

11.8 

8.7 
13.7 

11.7 

16.2 

20.5 

17.7 

26.1 
20.3 

23.3 
20.3 

'•A  considerably  larger  proportion  of  the  deaths  in  this  occu- 
pation occurred  after  the  age  of  44 — 69.9  per  cent,  as  against 
58.3  per  cent  in  all  occupations.  The  average  age  at  death  is 
51.3  Tears. 

"The  following  table  analyzes  the  mortality  of  each  age  class, 
bv  cause  of  death": 


NUMBER  OF  PER   CENT  OF  DEATHS  FROM   SPECIFIED   CAUSES  AilONG 
COAL  MINERS,  BY  AGE  PERIODS,  15  YEARS  AND  OVER— WHITE  MALES. 

(Metropolitan  Life   Insurance   Co.,   Industrial  Department — Mortality   Experience, 

1911  to  1913). 


Ages  15  yrs. 
and  over 

Per  cent  of  deaths  during  age  period 
(years) 

Aver- 
age 
age 
at 

death 

Causes  of  death 

Num- 
ber 

Per- 
cent 

15-24 

25-34 

35-44 

45-54 

55-64 

65 

and 

over 

Number  of  deaths 

1,557 

151 

135 

182 

319 

407 

363 

Influenza   

23 
91 
71 

94 

149 

49 

161 
37 

116 
18 

317 

431 

1.5 

5.8 
4.6 

6.0 

9.6 

3.1 

10.3 

2.4 

7.5 

1.2 

20.4 

27.7 

0.7 

4.0 

.7 

.7 
2.6 

4.6 

'"".7 
62.9 
23.2 

'ii!9 

1.5 

.7 
4.4 

7.4 

.7 

1.5 

2.2 

43.7 

25.9 

1.6 

12.1 

2.7 

1.6 

6.6 

1.1 

10.4 

1.1 

6.6 

2.2 

30.7 

22.9 

0.6 
6.6 
3.4 

4.1 

8.8 

1.6 

14.7 

4.1 

7.8 

2.2 

15.7 

30.4 

2.2 
3.4 
6.9 

7.6 

10.8 

4.2 

11.3 

2.9 

11.5 

.7 
10.3 
28.0 

2.2 
3.3 
6.6 

12.4 

15.2 

6.9 

8.8 
2.5 
8.3 

'41 
29.9 

58.9 

Tuberculosis  of  the  lungs 
Cancer    (all   forms) 

45.8 
58.9 

Cerebral  hemorrhage,  apo- 
plexy, and  paralysis 

Organic    diseases    of    the 
heart    

62.3 
57.9 

Acute   and    chronic    bron- 
chitis     

63.6 

Pneumonia   (lobar  and 
defined)    

un- 

53.1 

Cirrhosis  of  the  liver 

Bright's    disease 

56.4 
58.3 

Suicide  (all  forms) 

44.6 

Accidental    violence 

36.6 

All  other  causes 

Total 

1,557 

100.01  100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

51.3 

10 

*'In  the  age  period  15  to  24,  tuberculosis  of  the  lungs  is  of  small 
consequence,  causing  only  4  per  cent  of  all  deaths,  as  compared  with 
33.8  per  cent  in  the  general  group.  Its  relative  index  is  11.8\  Or- 
ganic diseases  of  the  heart  are  low  (44.8),  as  is  also  suicide  (25.0). 
On  the  other  hand,  accidental  violence  shows  a  relative  index  of 
327.6.  In  the  age  period  25  to  34,  practically  the  same  general  con- 
ditions are  observed.  Tuberculosis  of  the  lungs  is  very  low  (29.1), 
and  accidental  violence  remains  high  (349.6).  In  the  age  period  35 
to  44,  the  relative  index  for  tuberculosis  of  the  lungs  is  36.8.  In- 
fluenza and  the  respiratory  diseases  exhibit  a  high  proportionate 
mortality.  The  relative  index  for  influenza  is  266.7,  that  for  bron- 
chitis 366.7,  and  that  for  pneumonia  128.4.  Suicide  exhibits  a  rela- 
tive index  of  75.9,  and  accidental  violence  remains  high,  with  an 
index  of  310.1.  In  the  age  period  45  to  54  no  new  variations  are 
noted.  Tuberculosis  of  the  lungs  is  35.7;  bronchitis  and  pneumonia 
remain  high,  the  relative  indices  being,  respectively,  266.7  and  179.3. 
Accidental  violence,  though  lower  than  in  the  previous  age  periods, 
is  still  high  (184.7).  In  the  age  period  55  to  64  the  relative  index 
for  tuberculosis  of  the  lungs  is  low  (39.5)  ;  for  bronchitis  (381.8) 
and  for  pneumonia  (150.7)  it  is  high.  Accidental  violence  still  re- 
mains high,  with  a  relative  index  of  158.5.  In  the  age  period  65 
and  over  the  relative  indices  for  bronchitis  (363.2)  and  pneumonia 
(139.7)  are  high." 

Life  insurance  companies  use  a  system:  of  rating  hazardous  occu- 
pations based  upon  the  companies'  past  experience  in  granting  insur- 
ance to  persons  following  these  occupations.  Their  method  of  pro- 
tecting themselves  is  either  to  refuse  applications  or  to  accept  such 
applications  with  stringent  restrictions.  Persons  engaged  in  min- 
ing (underground)  are  accepted  for  insurance,  but  with  the  handi- 
cap, first,  of  having  16  years  added  to  their  actual  age,  and,  second, 
of  being  permitted  to  purchase  no  cheaper  form  of  policy  than  a  20- 
year  endowment,  the  rates  of  which  are  more  than  double  the  rate 
for  ordinary  life  policies.  From  the  following  list,  used  by  a  typical 
company,  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Co.,  it  will  be  seen  that  only 
one  occupation,  "freight  brakemen  on  trains  without  safety  appli- 
ances," is  charged  a  higher  rate.  It  may  be  said,  therefore,  that  an 
underground  miner  is  engaged  in  such  a  hazardous  occupation  that 
he  is  barely  within  the  class  which  is  permitted  to  purchase  life 
insurance. 


^  Relative  index  means  that  all  occupied  males  in  the  age  class  are  considered  as 
equalling  100. 


11 


The  following  table  includes  all  occupations  which  are  subjected 
to  an  advance  of  9  or  more  jears  in  age  because  of  the  occupation 
hazard  involved : 


HAZARD  RATINGS  OF  NEW  YORK  LIFE  INSURANCE  COMPANY. 

(Source:    New  York  Life  Insurance   Co.     Treatment   of   applicants  engaged  in 
occupations  which  involve  some  additional  hazard.    Form  1519,  New  York  City,  1912.) 


Years. 


Railroad  freight  brakemen — on  trains  without  automatic  couplers — signal' 
men,  not  from  towers,  yard  switchmen  (limited  to  10,  15  and  20-year 
endowments)    

Working  miners  (limited  to  10,  15  and  20-year  endowments) 

Oilwell  shooters  (limited  to  10,  15  and  20-year  endowments) 

Railroad  freight  brakemen— on  trains  equipped  with  automatic  couplers — 
car  cleaners,  coal  heavers,  flagmen  at  crossings,  Pullman  car  porters, 
section  hands,  wrecking  crews,  yard  signal  repairers  and  switch 
repairers  (limited  to  10,  15  and  20-year  endowments) 

Stock  yards  butchers,  shavers  and  skinners  (limited  to  10,  15  and  20-year 
endowments)    

Soldiers,  gunners  and  ordnance  men  (limited  to  10,  15  and  20-year  endow- 
ments for  an  amount  not  exceeding  $2,000) 

Cartridge  workers  who  break  up  condemned  cartridges  (limited  to  10,  15 
and  20-year  endowments) 

Firemen  and  sailors  on  ocean  and  Great  Lakes  (limited  to  10,  15  and 
20-year  endowments) 

Navy  ordnance  men,  sailors  and  gunners  (limited  to  10,  15  and  20-year 
endowments  for  an  amount  not  exceeding  $2,000) 

Railroad  engine  flremen,  engine  hostlers,  wipers  and  flue  cleaners,  freight 
conductors,  conductors  of  mixed  passenger  and  freight  trains  (limited 
to  10,  15  and  20-year  endowments) 

Cement  mill  employees  (limited  to  10,  15  and  20-year  endowments) 

OSicers  on  sailing  vessels  and  master  mariners  on  fishing  vessels 

Metal  polishers  (limited  to  10,  15  and  20-year  endowments) 

Potters — wheel  or  mold  (limited  to  10,  15  and  20-year  endowments) 

Powder  mill  foremen  and  skilled  employees  in  factories;  those  who  work  in 
the  outside  gang,  in  the  acidhouses,  or  in  the  warehouses  (limited  to 
10,  15  and  20-year  endowments) 

Sawmill  filers 

Smelter  workers,  laborers  (limited  to  10,  15  and  20-year  endowments) 

Mine  owners,  superintendents,  mining  engineers,  foremen,  bosses  and  over- 
seers, whose  regular  duties  take  them  underground 


20 
16 
15 


15 
15 
12 
12 
12 
12 


12 
10 
10 
10 
10 


10 
10 

10 


While  it  may  not  be  strictly  accurate  to  say  that  the  life  insur- 
ance companies  regard  the  miner's  life  as  16  years  shorter  than  the 
life  of  a  person  in  a  safe  occupation,  yet  this  is  what  the  above  rating 
practically  amounts  to. 


12 

II.     THE  ACCIDENT  HAZARD   OF  COAL   MINERS. 

(a)     Fatal  Accidents. 

The  data  for  hard  coal  and  for  soft  coal  mining  are  not  always 
given  separately.  An  analysis  of  the  causes  of  death  of  coal  miners — 
hard  and  soft  coal — insured  in  the  Prudential  Insurance  Company 
(Industrial  Department)  is  given  in  Bulletin  157  of  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics.  A  special  form  of  statistical 
table  is  used  to  compare  the  deaths  from  accidents  with  deaths  from 
all  other  causes.  This  table  is  reproduced  below.  Commenting  upon 
it,  the  Bulletin  states  (p.  114)  : 

*'As  an  illustration  of  the  method  adopted,  a  brief  reference 
may  be  made  to  coal  miners;  there  were  2,719  deaths  during  the 
period  1907  to  1912,  of  which  631  were  due  to  accidents,  or  23.2 
per  cent  of  the  mortality  from  all  causes.  The  corresponding 
average  proportion  for  all  occupied  males  was  9.4  per  cent.  The 
excess  becomes  much  more  marked  when  the  percentages  are 
compared  for  the  separate  divisional  periods  of  life:  At  ages 
15  to  24,  out  of  every  100  deaths  from  all  causes  of  coal  miners, 
56.9  were  deaths  caused  by  accidents,  against  20.7  for  all  occu- 
pied males ;  at  ages  25  to  34  the  respective  figures  were  42.3  and 
12.8 ;  at  ages  35  to  44  they  were  34.3  and  10.2 ;  at  ages  45  to  54 
they  were  20.4  and  8.9.  The  excess  in  the  mortality  figures  for 
coal  miners  continues  throughout  life,  for  at  ages  55  to  64  the 
accident  percentage  for  coal  miners  was  12.9,  against  6.4  for  all 
occupations;  whereas  at  ages  65  and  over  the  respective  per- 
centages were  5.1  and  4.1.  The  analysis,  therefore,  proves  con- 
clusively that  throughout  every  year  of  the  working  period  of 
life  the  mortality  of  coal  miners  includes  a  relatively  much 
higher  proportion  of  deaths  from  accidents  than  is  found  to  pre- 
vail among  all  occupied  males.  The  facts  are,  therefore,  quite 
conclusive  of  the  need  of  a  nation-wide  effort  to  bring  about  a 
material  reduction  of  the  accident  frequency  in  mines." 


13 


PROPORTIONATE  MORTALITY   OF   COAL  MINERS,   MALES,   FROM  ACCI- 
DENTS BY  OCCUPATIONS  AND  AGE  GROUPS,  1907  TO  1912. 
(Prudential  Isurance  Co.) 


Age 
groups. 


Age 
groups. 


Deaths 
from — 


Coal  Mines — Drivers: 
15  to  24  years 

24  to  34  years 

35  to  44  years 

45  to  54  years. . . . 

55  to  64  years 

65  years  and  over. 

Total 

Coal  Mines — Laborers: 
15  to  24  years 

25  to  34  years 

35  to  44  years 

45  to  54  years. . . . 

55  to  64  years 

65  years  and  over. 

Total 


All 
causes. 


21 
5 
2 


28 


11 

12 

6 

10 

9 

4 


52 


Acci- 
dents. 


Per  cent  of  deaths 
due  to  accidents. 


In  speci- 
fied occu- 
pation. 


18 
4 
1 


85.7 
80.0 
50.0 


23 


16 


Coal  Mines — Foremen: 

15  to  24  years 

25  to  34  years 

35  to  44  years. . . . 
45  to  54  years. . . . 
55  to  64  years. . . . 
65  years  and  over. 

Total 

Coal  Miners: 

15  to  24  years 

25  to  34  years 

35  to  44  years 

45  to  54  years 

55  to  64  years. . . . 
65  years  and  over. 

Total 


Deaths 
from — 


All 
causes. 


Acci- 
dents. 


4 
10 
22 
14 

6 


56 


267 
281 
341 
623 
699 
508 


2,719 


14 


152 
119 
117 
127 
90 
26 


631 


82.1 


63.6 
50.0 

io.6 

11.1 
25.0 


30.8 


Among 

occupied 

males. 


20.7 

12.8 

10.2 

8.9 

6.4 

4.1 


9.4 


20.7 

12.8 

10.2 

8.9 

6.4 

4.1 


9.4 


Per  cent  of  deaths 
due  to  accidents. 


In  speci- 
fied occu- 
pation. 


50.0 
50.0 
18.2 
7.1 
33.3 


25.0 


56.9 
42.3 
34.3 
20.4 
12.9 
5.1 


23.2 


Among 

occupied 

males. 


20.7 

12.8 

10.2 

8.9 

6.4 

4.1 


9.4 


20.7 

12.8 

10.2 

8.9 

6.4 

4.1 


9.4 


14 

The  experience  of  the  Metropolitan  Life  Insurance  Company  (In- 
dustrial Department)  likewise  shows  an  excessively  high  proportion 
of  deaths  from  accidents  to  coal  miners  (anthracite  and  bituminous). 
Bulletin  207  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics  gives 
a  statement  of  this  experience  for  the  years  1911  to  1913  (see  table 
above  on  p.  8).  By  using  the  figure  for  all  occupied  males  as  100, 
a  "relative  index"  is  obtained.  This  shows,  for  instance,  that  for  all 
ages  up  to  44  the  deaths  from  accidents  were  over  300 — that  is  over 
three  times  the  average.    The  study  in  Bulletin  207  states : 

"The  high  rate  from  accidental  violence  is  characteristic  of 
all  age  periods,  but  especially  up  to  age  45.  For  all  ages  the 
relative  index  of  accidental  violence  is  219.4.  Between  the  ages 
of  15  and  44  the  relative  indices  are  all  over  300.  The  age 
period  45  to  54  has  a  relative  index  of  184.7 ;  in  the  age  period 
55  to  64  the  index  is  158.5.  In  the  last  period,  65  and  over, 
it  is  only  93.2.  The  Prudential  experience  is  very  nearly  the 
same  as  that  of  the  Metropolitan ;  for  all  ages  the  relative  index 
is  246.2.  The  index  for  the  material  of  the  British  Registrar 
General's  office  is  256.9.  The  above  figures  show  clearly  the 
effect  of  the  dangers  of  the  occupation  upon  the  mortality  of 
coal  miners." 

Another  impartial  estimate  of  the  accident  hazard  of  anthracite 
mining  is  found  in  the  rating  of  the  occupation  by  the  accident 
insurance  companies.  These  companies  have  a  joint  bureau  which 
has  made  elaborate  studies  of  occupation  hazards  and  has  published 
the  results  of  these  investigations  in  a  volume  entitled  "Classifica- 
tion of  Occupations  for  Accident  and  Health  Insurance.  As  Ap- 
proved by  the. Standard  Manual  Committee  of  the  Bureau  of  Per- 
sonal Accident  and  Health  Underwriters.  Revised  and  Corrected 
to  March  1,  1919."  New  York,  1919.  (The  coal  mine  ratings  cited 
herewith  are  found  on  pages  14,  60  and  61  of  this  publication.) 

According  to  the  experience  of  these  companies,  they  are  willing 
to  provide  a  coal  mine  owner  who  does  not  enter  or  visit  his  mine 
$10,000  of  personal  accident  insurance,  but  if  he  does  enter  or  visit 
his  mine,  then  this  amount  must  be  cut  in  two,  and  he  can  secure 
only  |5,000  protection.  According  to  the  manual,  therefore,  merely 
entering  or  visiting  a  coal  mine  cuts  a  man's  desirability  as  an  acci- 
dent insurance  risk  directly  in  half. 

If,  however,  a  man  is  a  coal  miner,  then  he  is  at  once  excluded  from 
the  usual  classes  of  risk,  and  is  placed  in  a  special  class,  designated 
as  the  "C  Miner"  group,  and  under  no  circumstances  may  he  have 


15 


more  than  $500  protection ;  furthermore,  if  he  is  a  miner's  hiborer, 
he  may  not  have  more  than  |250  protection. 

In  the  opinion  of  these  specialists  on  occupation  hazards,  |500  is 
all  that  it  is  safe  to  risk  on  a  trained  coal  miner  and  |250  on  his 
helper.  A  carpenter,  using  machinery,  may  have  .f2,000,  a  machinist 
may  have  |2,500,  a  printer  (pressman)  may  have  |3,000,  and  other 
skilled  occupations  may  liave  corresponding  amounts  of  protection, 
but  the  trained  coal  miner  may  have  only  a  minimum  of  protection — 
his  occupation  hazard  being  too  great  to  permit  of  anything  more. 

The  record  of  fatal  accidents  in  the  Pennsylvania  anthracite  mines 
from  1899  to  1916,  inclusive,  is  given  in  the  Pennsylvania  Anthra- 
cite Report  for  191G  (the  latest  available) .    This  record  is  as  follows : 


FATAL  ACCIDENTS  IN  PENNSYLVANIA  ANTHRACITE  MINES,  1899-1916. 

(Source:    Pennsylvania,   Department   of  Mines  Report,   1916,   Part   1,  Anthracite, 

Page  104.) 


Year. 

Production. 

Employes. 

Fatal 
accidents. 

Lives  lost 
per 
1,000 

employes. 

Lives  lost 

per 
1,000,000 

tons 
produced. 

Produc- 
tion 
per 
life 
lost. 

1899 

1900 

1901 

1902 

1904 

1905 

1906 

1907 

1908 

1909 

1910 

1911 

1912........ 

1913 

1914 

1915 

1916 

60,518,331 
57,363,396 
67,094,665 
41,340,935 
178,409,849 

73,594,369 
78,647,020 
72,139,510 
86,056,412 
83,543,243 

80,223,833 
83,683,994 
90,917,176 
84,426,869 
91,626,964 

91,189,641 
89,377,706 
87,680,198 

140,604 
143,824 
147,651 
148,139 
262,688 

161,339 
168,254 
166.175 
168,774 
174,503 

171,195 
168,175 
173,338 
175,098 
175,310 

180,899 
177,339 
159,169 

461 
411 
513 
300 

832 

595 
644 
557 
708 
678 

567 
601 
699 
601 
624 

600 
588 
565 

3.28 
2.86 
3.47 
2.03 
3.17 

2.69 
3.83 
3.35 
4.20 
3.88 

3.31 
3.57 
4.03 
3.43 
3.56 

3.32 
3.32 
3.55 

7.62 
7.16 
7.65 
7.26 
4.67 

8.08 
8.19 
7.72 
8.23 
8.12 

7.07 
7.18 
7.69 
7.12 
6.81 

6.58 
6.58 
6.44 

131,276 
139.570 

130,789 
137,803 
214,435 

123,688 
122,123 
129,514 
121,549 
123,220 

141,488 
139,241 
130.067 
140,477 
146,838 

151,982 
152,003 
155,186 

Totals  and 
averages . . 

1,394,656,847 

2,951,604 

10,230 

3.47 

7.34    136,330 

1 

16 

As  stated  elsewhere,  a  constant  effort  has  been  made  by  the  indus- 
try and  by  the  State  government  to  provide  inspectors,  safety  devices, 
etc.,  in  order  to  reduce  the  number  of  fatalities  in  anthracite  mines, 
though  so  far  but  little  success  has  attended  these  efforts. 

The  true  index  of  the  fatal  accident  rate  is  the  rate  per  1,000  em- 
ployees. For  the  period  1899-1916,  the  average  deaths  were  3.47  per 
1,000  employees ;  in  1916  it  was  3.55,  and  in  the  past  ten  years  five 
of  the  years  have  rates  in  excess  of  3.55,  while  the  lowest  rate  in  the 
last  ten  years  was  3.32  per  1,000  employees.  It  is  fair  to  state,  there- 
fore, that  no  appreciable  reduction  has  occurred  in  the  anthracite 
mining  hazard  since  1900.  This  general  statement  is  emphasized 
if  the  fatal  accident  rate  is  given  by  decades.  Stated  in  summary 
form,  the  deaths  per  1,000  employees  by  decades,  1870-1916,  were  as 
follows  (Keport,  1916,  Pennsylvania  Department  of  Mines,  Part  I, 
Anthracite,  p.  153)  : 

Deaths 
Period.  per  1,000 

employes. 

1870-1879 4  02 

1880-1SS9 310 

1S90-1S99 3  15 

1900-1909 3  42 

1910-1916 3  54 

1916  3.55 

The  causes  of  fatal  accidents  in  anthracite  mines  are  shown  in 
the  following  table  for  the  period  1870  to  1916 : 


17 


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The  table  is  of  particular  value  in  endeavoring  to  assess  the  occu- 
pation hazard  of  the  anthracite  miner.  Throughout  the  whole  period 
the  same  causes  keep  recurring  as  responsible  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  deaths.  Thus,  92.76  per  cent  of  the  deaths  inside  the  mines 
from  1870  to  1916  were  due  to  falls  of  material,  mine  cars,  gas  and 
suffocation,  explosions  of  powder  and  dynamite,  blasts  and  falling 
of  men  into  shafts  and  slopes.  In  spite  of  all  improvements  in  safety 
arrangements  and  increases  in  inspections,  falls  of  coal,  slate  and 
roof  keep  on  killing  about  half  the  men  who  lose  their  lives  in 
anthracite  mines.  The  mine  cars  are  next  in  the  list  of  leading 
causes,  and.  together  with  the  preceding  cause,  are  responsible  for 
about  two-thirds  of  the  deaths  inside  anthracite  mines.  If  to  these 
two  causes  be  added  the  deaths  due  to  explosions  of  gas  and  suffoca- 
tion by  gas,  about  three-fourths  of  the  deaths  are  accounted  for. 
These  four  causes  persist  as  primarily  responsible  for  the  killing  of 
anthracite  miners  throughout  nearly  half  a  century,  and  little  im- 
provement has  taken  place  in  all  these  years. 

The  important  fact,  hoAvever,  in  this  connection  is  that  the  inher- 
ent hazard  of  anthracite  mining  is  increasing  from  year  to  year. 
Mr.  Van  H.  Manning,  Director  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines, 
states :' 

a*  *  *  rpijg  hazard  of  mining  is  undeniably  on  the  in- 
crease. The  hazard  is  increasing  because  mines  are  becoming 
larger  and  are  employing  more  men.  Consequently,  not  only 
are  there  many  more  points  in  a  mine  at  which  accidents  may 
occur,  but  a  great  accident  imperils  the  lives  of  many  more  men. 
An  explosion  that  might  have  killed  25  or  30  men  a  few  years 
ago  may  now  trap  hundreds.  Furthermore,  the  area  of  worked- 
out  ground  is  larger,  so  that  there  are  large  numbers  of  rooms 
in  which  gas  and  dust  may  accumulate  to  increase  the  risk  of 
explosions  as  well  as  their  violence. 

"As  mines  grow  larger  they  necessarily  require  more  exten- 
sive haulage  systems,  more  locomotives  and  mine  cars,  and  thus 
the  danger  from  haulage  accidents  grows." 

This  general  statement  as  to  the  steadily  increasing  hazard  in 
mines  is  supported  by  the  latest  report  on  anthracite  mines  of  the 
Pennsylvania  State  Department  of  Mines — that  for  the  year  1916. 
On  page  10.5  of  this  report,  reference  is  made  to  the  steadily  increas- 
ing number  of  State  mine  inspectors  from  1884  to  1916,  the  report 
stating  that  ''The  great  increase  in  the  number  of  inspectors  has  not 

■Van  H.  Manning,  "Mine  Accidents  and  Their  Prevention,"  in  Monthly  Bulletin  of 
Pennsylvania  Department  of  Labor  and  Industry,  May,  1916,  pages  52-54. 


19 

brought  about  the  result  desired,  namely,  a  decrease  in  the  number 
of  fatalities  in  and  about  the  mines." 

On  page  7  of  the  same  report  it  is  stated :  "It  is  almost  incredible 
that  with  all  the  modern  safety  appliances,  the  improved  methods 
of  mining,  the  comprehensive  mining  laws  and  the  stringent  rules 
for  the  guidance  of  employees,  there  should  be  no  reduction  in  the 
number  of  accidents.  There  are  several  reasons,  however,  for  this 
apparently  illogical  state  of  affairs.  Two  of  the  most  important  are 
( 1 )  the  mining  of  coal  is  now  more  difficult  and  hazardous  than  ever 
before,  and  (2)  the  ignorance  and  the  resultant  carelessness  on  the 
part  of  the  workers." 

(b)  Xon-Fatal  Accidents. 

The  best  analysis  of  accidents  occurring  in  anthracite  mines  is  the 
detailed  study  published  in  the  Bulletin  of  the  Pennsylvania  Depart- 
ment of  Labor  and  Industry,  No.  7  of  1917,  entitled  ''Analytical 
Tables,  Compiled  in  the  Bureau  of  Statistics  and  Information,  and 
the  Bureau  of  Workmen's  Compensation — Showing  Cost  of  Acci- 
dents which  resulted  in  the  Killing  and  Injuring  of  Miners  in  the 
Anthracite  and  Bituminous  Coal  Fields  of  Pennsylvania  During  the 
Year  1916"  (page  06  and  following). 

The  following  statements  are  derived  from  this  study.  The  figures 
include  only  cases  reported  to  the  Bureau  of  Workmen's  Compen- 
sation. 

During  the  year  1916,  there  were  9,413  workers  in  the  anthracite 
field  who  were  injured  to  such  an  extent  that  they  were  disabled 
for  more  than  11  days,  some  of  them  permanently.  Besides  these, 
there  were  16,979  workers  injured  and  disabled  for  periods  of  less 
than  11  days,  the  average  being  5  days.  Together,  these  two  groups 
number  26.392  workers  in  1916.  As  the  number  of  persons  employed 
was  159,169,  this  makes  165.8  per  1,000  employees  injured  in  one 
year,  or  practically  one-sixth  of  the  entire  working  force.  It  is 
needless  to  state  that  this  proportion  of  injured  workers  is  extremely 
high,  and  is  perhaps  exceeded  only  by  one  or  two  industries  for 
which  no  reliable  data  exist. 

The  causes  of  these  accidents  are  so  varied  that  it  is  impossible 
to  present  them  in  brief  space.  The  leading  causes,  however,  are 
the  same  as  for  the  fatal  injuries,  the  falls  of  material,  falls  of  per- 
sons, explosions,  mine  cars  and  locomotives,  etc.,  and  they  emphasize 
the  great  difficulty  attending  accident  prevention  in  anthracite 
mines. 

In  the  greater  part  of  these  accidents  the  arms  and  legs  were  most 


20 

frequently  injured.  These  injuries  are  particularly  disastrous  in 
lessening  the  miners'  earning  capacity". 

The  clearest  evidence  of  the  high  accident  rate  of  the  anthracite 
industry  is  found  in  the  experience  of  the  Pennsylvania  Workmen's 
Compensation  Act.  The  table  given  below  shows  the  varied  nature 
of  the  injuries  sustained  by  anthracite  miners,  but  the  most  con- 
vincing figure  is  that  contained  in  the  last  column  of  the  table.  If 
one  compensatable  accident  is  taken  as  the  basis,  then  all  the  acci- 
dents sustained  by  the  anthracite  workers  involve  an  annual  charge 
of  .f!l,035  per  $1,000,000  of  annual  payroll.  Quarrying  comes  next, 
with  a  charge  of  |6S2 ;  bituminous  has  '1621,  while  the  average  for 
all  industries  is  only  $240.  In  other  words,  anthracite  mining  is 
over  four  times  as  hazardous  as  all  industries  under  the  compensa- 
tion act  and  is  over  five  times  as  hazardous  as  the  manufacturing 
industries. 

Attention  should  also  be  called  to  column  12  of  the  table,  which 
gives  the  rates  for  death  and  permanent  total  disability ;  anthracite 
mining  has  a  rate  of  |5.4  per  $1,000,000  payroll ;  quarrying  has 
13.00,  bituminous  mining  has  $2.9,  while  for  all  industries  it  is  $1.00 
and  for  manufacturing  only  it  is  but  $0.8. 

In  other  words,  anthracite  mining  accidents  of  all  types  are  five 
times  the  average  for  all  industries,  and  the  most  serious  accidents, 
namely,  the  deaths  and  the  total  permanent  disablements,  are  like- 
wise over  five  times  the  average  for  all  industries. 


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22 


III.     OCCUPATIONAL  DISEASES  OF  COAL  MINERS. 

There  is  a  long  list  of  diseases  to  which  anthracite  miners  are  par- 
ticularly liable  because  of  their  occupation.  The  general  nature  of 
these  diseases  has  alreadev  been  referred  to  in  connection  with  the 
high  mortality  of  miners.  In  addition  to  miners  who  die  from  these 
diseases,  there  are  many  who  survive,  but  only  with  seriously  im- 
paired working  capacity. 

The  most  important  of  these  afflictions  are  the  respiratory  diseases, 
pneumonia,  anthracosis,  miners'  asthma,  etc.  It  is  occasionally 
stated  that  thet>e  special  diseases  among  miners  are  not  as  frequent 
as  formerly,  but  Bulletin  231  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics 
(page  406 j  gives  the  warning  that  "Conclusions  based  upon  frag- 
mentary observations  derived  from  the  experience  of  physicians  in 
coal-mining  centers  throughout  the  world  cannot  be  safely  applied 
to  modern  coal-mining  conditions  in  the  United  States.  The  rela- 
tively high  mortality  from  asthma,  bronchitis  and  pneumonia  is  cer- 
tainly suggestive  of  more  or  less  health  injurious  conditions  under- 
ground, probably  directly  related  to  dust  exposure,  which  cannot  be 
explained  on  any  other  principle  of  correlation  in  disease." 

The  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines,  in  its  Bulletin  No.  93,  pub- 
lished a  special  study  of  Miners'  Nystagmus,  in  which  it  is  stated 
that  while  the  existence  of  the  disease  in  the  United  States  is  not 
well  known,  yet — 

"In  view  of  the  foregoing  it  would  seem  extremely  improbable 
that  an  occupational  affliction  so  well  defined  should  be  wholly 
absent  in  the  coal-mining  industry  of  the  United  States.  ♦  ♦  * 

"The  statistical  application  of  the  foregoing  considerations 
to  the  coal-mining  industry  of  the  United  States  is  rather  lim- 
ited at  present.  No  trustworthy  data  exist  which  warrant  more 
than  an  approximate  estimate  of  the  probable  number  of  nystag- 
mus cases  among  American  coal  miners.  According  to  the  sta- 
tistics of  the  Bureau  of  Mines  the  number  of  men  employed 
under  ground  is  estimated  at  596,470  for  the  year  1913.  As  the 
average  rate  of  new  cases  of  nystagmus  reported  under  the  Brit- 
ish Workmen's  Compensation  Act  during  the  five  years  ended 
with  1912  had  been  9.2  per  10,000  employed,  this'  rate,  when 
applied  to  the  total  number  of  persons  employed  in  coal  mining 
in  the  United  States  in  the  year  1913,  given  by  the  Bureau  of 
Mines  as  747,644,  would  indicate  the  possible,  'if  not  probable, 
existence  of  688  new  cases  of  nystagmus  per  annum.  As  the 
cumulative  rate  of  old  and  new  cases  under  the  English  experi- 


23 

ence  by  the  year  1912  had  reached  29.8  per  10,000,  this  would 
indicate  a  possible,  if  not  the  probable,  number  of  persons  em- 
ployed in  American  coal  mining  and  affected  with  nystagmus 
as  numbering  2,228  for  the  year  1913.  These  rates  are  unques- 
tionably conservative,  for  they  are  far  from  the  5  per  cent  of 
ascertained  cases  for  certain  mining  districts  of  Germany.  If 
the  proportion  of  American  coal-mine  employees  affected  with 
nystagmus  were  as  high  as  5  per  cent,  the  number  of  such  cases 
estimated  for  the  year  1913  would  be  37,382." 

In  this  connection  it  should  be  mentioned  that  the  medical  ex- 
amining boards  of  the  War  Department,  acting  under  the  Selective 
Service  Act,  discovered  an  unsuspected  number  of  young  men  with 
this  disease.  "Nystagmus  was  found  to  a  marked  degree  in  854  cases, 
of  which  all  but  47  were  rejected."  (Defects  Found  in  Drafted  Men, 
Statistical  Information  Compiled  from  the  Draft  Records,  Senate 
Committee,  Printed  in  Washington,  1919,  page  78.) 

Aside  from  the  special  occupational  diseases  of  the  miners,  there 
is  the  question  of  their  general  liability  to  disease,  such  as  all  wage- 
earners  are  liable  to.  In  this  connection  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Commission  on  Health  Insurance  Report  of  1919  states  (p.  176)  : 

"Health  hazards  involved  in  coal  mining  are  briefly  discussed 
in  Dr.  Hamilton's  study,  special  emphasis  being  laid  on  the  high 
death  rate  among  miners  from  non-tuberculous  diseases  of  the 
lungs.  This  fact  is  confirmed  by  the  results  of  the  Western 
Pennsylvania  Survey,  which,  besides  finding  that  the  total  sick- 
ness rate  among  miners  was  8  per  cent  higher  than  the  general 
rate  for  white  adult  males,  states  that  'It  is  probable  that  the 
true  rate  for  miners'  asthma,  involving  disability  for  work,  is 
not  less  than  400  per  100,000  exposed  among  anthracite  and 
not  less  than  175  per  100,000  among  bituminous  miners.  These 
figures  foi<  anthracite  and  for  bituminous  miners  measure 
within  certain  limits  of  error  the  incidence  of  anthracosis 
among  the  coal  miners  in  the  two  groups,  asthma  being  the 
most  prominent  symptom,  to  the  lay  mind  at  least,  of  that 
condition." 


24 


IV.     PREMATURE  INVALIDITY  OF  COAL  MINERS. 

One  phase  of  the  miners'  occupation  which  has  been  but  little 
studied  in  this  country  is  the  early  wearing  out  of  the  miners' 
physique.  For  the  German  miners  some  information  is  available, 
but  accurate  data  for  the  LTnited  States  seem  to  be  lacking.  Compe- 
tent observers,  however,  have  called  attention  to  this  early  disability 
of  the  miners.  Thus,  Bulletin  231  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Labor 
Statistics  states  on  page  414 :  "There  is  unquestionably  a  very  con- 
siderable amount  of  needless  premature  invalidity,  as  is  clearly 
shown  by  the  experience  of  German  Miners'  Associations,  and  to  a 
lesser  extent  by  the  investigations  made  by  life  insurance  companies 
in  the  United  States." 

The  same  general  observation  was  made  by  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Commission  on  Old  Age  Pensions  in  its  report  made  in  1919.  The 
Commission  found  that  there  were  practically  no  miners  over  65  at 
Avork  in  the  mines;  in  explaining  this  the  report  says  (on  page  29) 
that  first,  miners  age  prematurely,  and  second,  that  accidents  carry 
them  off  before  they  can  reach  the  higher  ages.    The  report  states : 

''The  low  rate  of  disability  due  to  old  age,  attributed  to 
skilled  mechanics  and  miners,  may  be  explained  by  the  fact  that 
with  the  development  of  modern  machine  processes  men  are 
scrai)ped  much  earlier  in  life  and  aged  men  are  generally  unde- 
sirable in  the  skilled  trades.  Miners,  on  the  other  hand,  age 
prematurely  and  in  both  occupations  the  accident  rate  runs 
high — 25.44  per  cent  for  miners  and  20.28  per  cent  for  skilled 
groups."' 


^  Report  of  Pennsylvania  Commission  on  Old  Age  Pensions,  Harrisburg,  1919,  page  29. 


BEFORE  THE  UNITED  STATES  ANTHRACITE 
COAL  COMMISSION 

EMPLOYES  EXHIBIT  NUMBER '- 


WHOLESALE  AND  RETAIL 

PRICES  OF  ANTHRACITE  COAL 

1913  TO  1920 


Presented  by 
W.    JETT    LAUCK 

On  behalf  of 

John  L.  Lewis,  President 

Philip  Murray,  Vice-President 

F.  P.  Hanaway,  International  Representative 

Percy  Tetlow.  Statistician 


John  Dempsey  )   Committee  Representing 

Thomas   Kennedy  }        r>w-  ..  •  .^    i     7       jo 

/^L  •      T    /-•   ij     "  I        Districts   I,   /  and  V 

Chris.  J.  Liolden  ) 


Of  the 

United  Mine  Workers  of  America 


WASHINGTON 
1920 


13 


BEFORE  THE  UNITED  STATES  ANTHRACITE 
COAL  COMMISSION 


EMPLOYES  EXHIBIT  NUMBER- 


WHOLESALE  AND  RETAIL 

PRICES  OF  ANTHRACITE  COAL 

1913  TO  1920 


Presented  by 
W.    JETT    LAUCK 


On  behalf  of 


United  Mine  Workers  of  America 


WASHINGTON 
1920 


ISA 


WHOLESALE  PRICES  OF  ANTHRACITE  COAL,  1913  TO  1920. 

The  following  table  shows  the  changes  which  have  taken  place 
in  f.  0.  b.  mine  prices  of  the  principal  sizes  of  anthracite  coal  from 
1913  to  June,  1920.  For  the  years  1913  to  1918,  inclusive,  these 
prices  are  taken  from  the  report  of  the  United  States  Greological 
Survey,  'Trices  of  Coal  and  Coke,  1913-1918,"  published  in  1919.  The 
prices  for  1919  and  six  months  of  1920  are  taken  from  the  market 
reports  of  the  Coal  Age,  which  is  the  same  source  used  in  the  Geo- 
logical Survey  report,  and  the  averages  are  computed  in  the  same 
manner.  The  weighted  average  of  all  sizes  is  arrived  at  by  weight- 
ing the  sizes  specified  in  accordance  with  the  tonnage  of  that-^ize 
shipped,  as  reported  by  the  Geological  Survey.  , — ^___-^ 

COMPARATIVE  PRICES  OF  SPECIFIED  SIZES  OF  ANTHRACITE  COAL, 
1913-1920.     F.  O.  B.  MINES— NEW  YORK  MARKET. 


(Unit, 

Gross  Ton  of  2,240  F 

ounds.) 

Year. 

Egg. 

Stove. 

Chestnut. 

Pea. 

Steam. 

Weighted 

Average 

of  All 

Sizes. 

1913   

$3.50 
3.58 
3.59 
4.04 
4.52 
5.04 
6.29 
6.84 

$3.53 
3.60 
3.59 
4.19 
4.75 
5.29 
6.54 
7.09 

$3.76 
3.83 
3.84 
4.29 
4.81 
5.39 
6.64 
7.19 

$2.05 
2.08 
2.05 
2.48 
3.83 
3.99 
5.24 
5.66 

$1.23 
1.28 
1.24 
1.31 
2.48 
3.17 
3.04 
3.20 

$2.79 

1914    

2.85 

1915   

2.84 

1916   , 

3.16 

1917    

3,98 

1918   

4.56 

1919    

5.33 

1920   (six  months).. 

5.75 

The  next  table  shows  the  f.  o.  b.  mine  prices  of  all  sizes  of  an- 
'thracite  coal,  by  months,  from  January,  1919,  to  June,  1920,  in- 
clusive. The  quotations  were  taken  from  the  market  reports  ap- 
pearing in  the  Coal  Age  and  averaged  by  the  same  method  used  in 
the  Geological  Survey  report  referred  to. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  weighted  average  of  all  sizes  for  1919 
does  not  agree  with  the  figure  in  the  foregoing  table.  This  is  oc- 
casioned by  the  fact  that  only  certain  specified  sizes  are  included 
in  the  first  table,  while  the  second  compilation  includes  all  sizes. 

The  weighted  average  price  of  all  sizes  corresponds  very  closely 
to  the  average  sales  realization  as  computed  by  the  Federal  Trade 
Commission. 

3 


MONTHLY  PRICES  OF  ALL  SIZES  OF  ANTHRACITE  COAL,  1919-1920, 

PER  GROSS  TON   (2,240  pounds)   F.  O.  B.  MINES, 

NEW  YORK  MARKET. 


(Quotations  taken  from  the  Coal  Age.) 

Bro- 

Chest 

Buck- 

BoU- 

Bar- 

-a (u 
<D  gj  N 
WJ  *J  t; 

ken 

Egg 

Stove 

nut 

Pea 

wheat 

Rice 

er 

ley 

Clilm 

^  '53  * 

YEAR  1919 

anuary 

$6.14 

$6.04 

$6.29 

$6.39 

$4.99 

$3.46 

$2.96 

$2.76 

$2.46 

$1.25 

$5.11 

"•ebruary 

6.14 

6.04 

6.29 

6.39 

4.99 

3.46 

2.96 

2.76 

2.46 

1.25 

5.11 

larch 

6.14 

6.04 

6.29 

6.39 

4.99 

3.46 

2.81 

2.56 

2.31 

1.25 

5.09 

ipril 

6.14 

6.04 

6.29 

6.39 

4.99 

3.46 

2.81 

2.56 

2.31 

1.25 

5.09 

lay 

6.24 
6.14 
6.14 
6.14 

6.14 
6.24 
6.34 
6.44 

6.39 
6.49 
6.59 
6.69 

6.49 
6.59 
6.69 
6.79 

5.09 
5.19 
5.29 
5.39 

3.46 
3.46 
3.46 
3.46 

2.81 
2.81 
2.81 
2.81 

2.56 
2.56 
2.56 
2.56 

2.31 
2.31 
2.31 
2.31 

1.25 
1.25 
1.25 
1.25 

5.15 

une 

5.21 

ulv 

5.27 

August 

5.33 

eptember. . . 

6.14 

6.54 

6.79 

6.89 

5.49 

3.46 

2.81 

2.56 

2.31 

1.25 

5.40 

)ctober  (a).. 

6.14 

6.54 

6.79 

6.89 

5.49 

3.46 

2.81 

2.56 

2.31 

1.25 

5.40 

iJovember  (a) 

6.14 

6.54 

6.79 

6.89 

5.49 

3.46 

2.81 

2.56 

2.31 

1.25 

5.40 

)ecember  (a) 

6.14 

6.54 

6.79 

6.89 

5.49 

3.46, 

2.81 

2.56 

2.31 

1.25 

5.40 

ive.  forYr.. 

6.14 

6.29 

6.54 

6.64 

5.24 

3.46 

2.84 

2.59 

2.34 

1.25 

i5.25 

YEAR  1920 

anuary 

6.14 

6.54 

6.79 

6.89 

5.49 

3.46 

2.81 

2.56 

2.31 

1.25 

5.40 

February 

6.14 

6.54 

6.79 

6.89 

5.49 

3.46 

2.81 

2.56 

2.31 

1.25 

5.40 

larch 

6.14 

6.54 

6.79 

6.89 

5.49 

3.46 

2.81 

2.56 

2.31 

1.25 

5.40 

^prU 

6.14 

6.54 

6.79 

6.89 

5.49 

3.66 

3.06 

2.56 

2.31 

1.25 

5.44 

Jay 

7.69 
7.69 
6.66 

7.39 
7.49 
6.84 

7.64 
7.74 
7.09 

7.74 
7.84 
7.19 

5.94 
6.04 
5.66 

4.16 
4.16 
3.73 

3.06 
3.06 
2.94 

2.56 
2.56 
2.56 

1 

2.31 
2.31 
2.31 

1.50 
1.50 
1.33 

6.11 

une 

6.17 

We.  for  6  Mo. 

5.65 

The  following  excerpts  from  the  market  reports  of  the  Coal  Age 
ire  of  interest  in  connection  with  wholesale  prices  and  are  repro- 
luced  here : 
STew  York  Market  (Coal  Age,  June  3,  1920)  — 

"One  more  announcement  has  been  made  showing  additional  in- 
creases in  wholesale  prices.  The  demand  continues  strong  with  no 
lesitancy  in  the  market  absorbing  all  the  coal  available.  *  *  * 
Quotations  for  independent  buckwheat  ranged  from  |4  to  |5  at  the 
nine,  rice  |2.75  to  $3  and  barley  $2  to  $2.50." 
Philadelphia  Market  (Coal  Age,  May  27, 1920)  — 

"All  shippers  have  now  announced  a  price  schedule  for  the  cur- 
[•ent  month.  The  biggest  shipper  announced  prices  from  May  11  as 
i"ollows : 

Broken    |7.50 

Egg   7.20 

Stove 7.45 

Nut   7.55 

Pea 5.75 

Buckwheat    4.10 

(Other  sizes  to  remain  unchanged) 

(a)  No  prices  given  in  Coal  Age.    Next  prices  shown  are  Jan.,  1920,  which  are 
the  same  as  Sept.,  indicating  no  change  in  interim. 


"These  are  the  lowest  prices  for  any  Company,  the  nearest 
other  big  company  being  15c  higher  on  egg,  25c  higher  on  stove,  15c 
on  nut  and  25c  on  pea."  (Gross  ton,  f.  o.  b.  mine.) 

(Coal  Age,  June  3,  1920)  — 

"As  to  prices  now  prevailing,  some  of  the  independent  shippers 
quote  from  §9.50  to  $10  on  egg,  stove  and  nut.  Usually  the  higher 
price  is  asked  when  the  buyer  refuses  to  take  any  pea  coal ;  quota- 
tions on  this  size  have  run  from  |:6.25  right  up  to  §7.00.  ♦  *  ♦ 
No  trouble  is  experienced  in  getting  ,*?4:.25  for  buckwheat  and  plenty 
of  sales  are  made  at  figures  25c  higher  than  that.  Kice  clings  close 
to  f  3.25." 

(Coal  Age,  June  10,  1920)  — 

"The  biggest  shipper  recently  advised  the  trade  of  an  advance 
of  10c  a  ton  on  egg,  nut  and  pea.  ♦  *  *  Soon  most  of  the  other 
producers  followed  the  lead  of  the  big  company,  a  few  even  putting 
on  more  than  10c.  The  following  table  notes  the  comparison  be- 
tween company  and  individual  average  prices  on  domestic  sizes : 

Egg 

Company §7.30 

Individual   8.35 

"The  company  price  on  buckwheat  is  still  |4.10.     *     *     *     In- 
dependent shippers   have  no  difficulty  in  getting  25c  above  that 
price." 
Boston  Market  (Coal  Age,  May  27,  1920)  — 

'•With  the  announcements  on  May  15  and  May  17  of  the  old- 
line  companies,  that  advances  of  85c  to  §1  would  be  effective  from 
these  dates,  practically  every  anthracite  shipper  is  now  on  a  new 
price  basis.*' 

Buffalo  Market  (Coal  Age,  May  27,  1920)  — 

"The  fixing  of  the  price  of  hard  coal  has  added  85c  a  ton  to  the 
wholesale  prices  of  the  leading  sizes  with  a  ten-cent  monthly  addi- 
tion besides." 
General  Market  (Coal  Age,  June  10,  1920)  — 

"The  following  quotations  are  from  a  number  of  prominent  an- 
thracite producers  for  the  month  of  May  at  the  mines : 


Stove 

Nut 

Pea 

§7.55 

$7.65 

15.85 

8.60 

8.60 

6.50 

Egg 

Stove 

Chestnut 

Pea 

Philadelphia  and  Reading  C.  &  I.  Co 

Lehigh  Coal  and  Navigation  Co 

$7.20 
7.35 
8.25 
8.35 
8.55 
8.25 
8.10 
8.10 
8.10 
8.35 
8.50 

$7.45 
7.70 
8.50 
8.70 
8.80 
8.50 
8.45 
8.45 
8.45 
8.60 
8.50 

$7.55 
7.70 
8.50 
8.70 
8.80 
8.50 
8.45 
8.45 
8.45 
8.60 
8.50 

$5.75 
6.00 

\Miitney  and  Kemmerer 

6  50 

Markle  &  Co.  (Jeddo) 

6.80 

Markle  &  Co.   (Highland) 

6  90 

Pardee  &  Co.  (Lattlmer) 

6  50 

M.  A ,  Hanna  ^,  C.n 

6  30 

Maderia  Hill  &  Co 

6  50 

Wentz  &   Co 

6  50 

Llneaweaver  &  Co 

6  25 

Weston,  Dodson  &  Co 

6  50 

RETAIL  PRICES  OF  ANTHRACITE  COAL,  1913-1920. 

The  following  table  shows  the  price  changes  which  have  taken 
place  since  1913  in  the  two  sizes  of  anthracite  coal,  stove  and  chest- 
nut, in  most  general  use  for  domestic  purposes.  The  shipments  of 
these  sizes  in  1918  were  approximately  30,000,000  tons,  or  about  40 
per  cent  of  the  total  shipments  of  anthracite  in  that  year.  In  pre- 
vious years  they  constituted  even  a  larger  proportion. 

The  prices  from  January,  1913,  to  January,  1920,  inclusive,  are 
average  prices  secured  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics,  pub- 
lished in  the  Monthly  Labor  Review  for  March,  1920,  Those  for 
June,  1920,  were  secured  from  representative  retail  dealers  during 
the  week  ending  June  12th  in  the  eight  cities  covered  by  the  inves- 
tigation. These  are  the  principal  anthracite  consuming  centers  of 
the  country.  Quotations  were  secured  from  eight  to  fourteen  deal- 
ers in  each  city  and  an  average  computed. 

It  may  be  noted  that  in  Baltimore,  Boston,  Bridgeport  and 
Providence  the  prices  quoted  by  retail  dealers  were  exactly  uniform. 
In  the  other  cities  there  were  slight  variations  in  retail  prices.  It 
was  found  that  the  local  custom  of  quoting  prices  for  a  long  or 
short  ton  was  adhered  to  by  all  dealers.  All  of  the  prices  are  on 
White  Ash  grade,  delivered  a  reasonable  distance,  but  do  not  in- 
clude extra  charges  where  additional  handling  is  necessary. 

The  greatest  increases  in  prices  for  June,  1920,  over  January 
have  evidently  occurred  in  the  New  England  district,  in  some  in- 
stances as  much  as  |2.50  per  ton  of  2,000  pounds.  In  all  of  the 
cities  covered  an  advance  in  retail  prices  is  shown  to  have  taken 
place. 


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